The Fates Collide
by Kinkatia
Summary: A resurrected girl. A secret demon city. The kidnapping of all kidnappings. Can Sesshomaru be found before the secrecy of demon existence leaks out to the human population? Sequel to Sesshomaru's Son.
1. Fateful Bus Ride

**I'm getting in over my head here, and I know it. Too many fics going at once! Oh boy, I'm going to regret this later. But I've just got too many ideas! **

**Otulia: Well, anyway, we losers don't own InuYasha. And if you've read Sesshomaru's Son, then you know who our OC's are. If you haven't read it…go read it now! This is the sequel for crying out loud!**

Fateful Bus Ride

"Oh, why'd it have to be so cold today?" Kagome whined, rubbing her arms vigorously.

Yuka laughed. "It's winter, that's why." Eri and Ayumi laughed, too.

The four girls were standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the bus. A brisk, chill wind was blowing its way through the streets of Tokyo, and the sky was crowded with heavy clouds, threatening snow. Cars whizzed by, their occupants oblivious to all that was outside except the streets they traveled on.

"Don't make fun of me!" Kagome snapped, crossing her arms, well…crossly.

Her friends hastily apologized, giggling.

The bus pulled up, and the girls hastily boarded. Even though it was crowded, it was much warmer than outside. They squeezed into the backseat, thankful that they didn't have to stand.

"So Ayumi," Eri said mischievously. "Tell us more about this guy you met last night."

"I didn't exactly meet him," she said, blushing slightly. "We were just in the same line at the cultural festival."

"Oh, spill!" Kagome said excitedly.

Yuka nodded, saying, "What did he look like?"

"Well, he was taller than me, and he was wearing black. He had dark, almost violet eyes, and he had really long black hair." She paused, giggling. "And there were fake cat ears on his head. When I asked what he was dressed as, he said he was a cat demon."

They all laughed, imagining seeing a guy wearing cat ears. "Hey, Ayumi, what did you dress as?" Eri asked.

"Oh, I went as the priestess Midoriko. Do you remember learning about her in school?"

"Yeah, wasn't she the priestess who created the sacred Shikon Jewel?" Yuka wondered aloud.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, she was. Now tell us, what happened with your cat man? Did you get his name?"

"No, but I'd recognize him if I ever saw him again. Oh, here's our stop." The bus slowed to a halt, and the doors opened. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi stood, but Kagome remained seated.

"I'm heading to the library," she said apologetically. "But I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing!" Yuka said, before she was swept off the bus in the crowd. Kagome sighed and stared out the window at the cold, gray city.

"Lady Kagome?" She hadn't been called that in years, not since her last visit to the Feudal Era, and it took her a moment to realize someone had addressed her. When she turned around, she saw the girl who had been sitting beside Eri looking at her curiously.

The girl, who appeared to be about Kagome's own age, was oddly familiar. Memories flashed into Kagome's mind; eyes that were once filled with joyful innocence, but knew the evils of the world first-hand; a handful of wildflowers, freshly picked; a small girl crying out for rescue. And suddenly, Kagome knew who she was.

"It can't be," she murmured. "It simply can't be her. It can't be…"

**Cliffie! I apologize for shortness, but my first chapters are ALWAYS short. They get longer, so just deal with it for now. –insert maniacal laughter here- I bet you all want to know who it is! Take a guess! Please tell me who you think it might be! I need guesses before I update! **


	2. A Tragic Tale Unfolds

**Here I am, and with all of four reviews. Well, thank you reviewers! I did appreciate it! So, on with the next chapter, and the unveiling of the mysterious person!**

**Bankotsu: Why do I have to do this?**

**Me: Because Otulia isn't here. Now say it.**

**Bankotsu: Fine…Kinkatia doesn't own InuYasha…**

A Tragic Tale Unfolds

"…Rin?"

The girl nodded slowly. "But, how?" Kagome asked. "How are you still-"

"Not here," Rin interrupted. "It isn't something that should be overheard."

It was Kagome's turn to nod. She understood perfectly. Most people wouldn't react very well to overhearing a conversation about how someone had survived for 500 years. "Listen, I'm getting off at the next stop," Kagome said. "Come with me to the library. We can talk there."

"Sure." Rin gazed at Kagome a moment longer with her sad brown eyes before turning to stare out the window. Snow had begun to fall in large, fluffy flakes, swirling about on the winter wind. The two girls said nothing more until the bus had slowed once more to a halt, and they stood to get off.

"I'm meeting someone here, but it's okay to talk in front of him," Kagome said. "I'll explain why once we're inside." Yet another truth that must remain unspoken in public. She sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that she didn't have so many secrets to keep.

They were the last ones to exit into the swirling snow. Standing nearby was a young man who stood out from the others in Rin's mind. And it wasn't just his peculiar dual-colored hair. She focused her attention on him, and saw the flickering presence of his aura.

He walked over to them and stood by Kagome. "Who's this?" he asked pleasantly. There was kindness in his eyes.

"Not now," Kagome said, marching past him and through the doors of the library with surprising speed.

The man laughed. "I take it she's cold." He looked at Rin and smiled. "I'm Kishitaro, by the way. We should head in there, too, if we don't want to freeze out here." She nodded silently and followed him into the comforting warmth of the building.

They gathered in one of the private reading rooms, where people usually came to study. It was furnished with a square table that was almost directly in the center of the room, a large, comfortable chair on one side of it, and an old loveseat on the opposite side.

Rin seated herself in the chair, and Kishitaro and Kagome sat down on the other side of the table. "Lady Kagome," she said warily.

"Please, Rin, just call me Kagome."

She nodded. "Are you sure we can trust him? He's a demon."

Kishitaro blinked in surprise. "How could you tell? I keep myself disguised."

A wry smile spread across her face. "I've picked up a skill in seeing demonic auras."

Kagome spoke up. "You can trust Kishitaro, Rin," she assured. "Now tell me; how are you still alive? It's been 500 years since I last saw you."

Rin was silent, staring at her hands, as if unsure how to begin.

"She isn't alive."

Both girls looked at Kishitaro in surprise. "Your scent is that of death," he said gravely.

"That's right," Rin replied. "Let me start from the beginning, though. And please, don't interrupt; it is a hard tale to tell." She returned her gaze to her hands. "I stayed with Lord Sesshomaru until I died. I was fifteen at the time. He had taught me to use a katana, so that I could defend myself against minor demons when he wasn't around. Because I was able to protect myself, he often let me go off on my own. It was on one of those occasions that I stumbled across a pack of wolves." A shudder passed through her, and she paused before continuing.

"I could have fought off one, or two, but not a whole pack. So I ran. And…they chased after me. Master Jaken heard my cries for help, and held off most of them with the Staff of Two Heads. But one got around him. By then, I was too terrified to even think of fighting it. I just ran. There was a cliff…I tripped, and…"

She took a deep breath.

"The next thing I knew, I was in the netherworld…again. I don't know how long I was there, but after a time, I awoke in the world of the living once more. A demon named Sukia had resurrected me."

_Like Kikyo, _Kagome thought.

"I tried to run away, but she always caught me. She wasn't evil. She only needed a helper in her old age, and had stumbled across my grave. So I did as she told me, until the day of her death. She was slaughtered by the inhabitants of a nearby village.

"That's when I found out that the demon hunt had begun. The humans were going to exterminate all demons. I tried to reason with some of the villagers I came across, but they threatened me, and I ran away. I tried to find Lord Sesshomaru, but I couldn't find him. I fear that…"

Rin's eyes were filled with tears. Gently, so as not to alarm her, Kishitaro reached into her mind. An image of a tall demon with flowing silver hair flashed through his mind's eye, followed by the unbearable thought of death.

"Rin," he said. "He's still alive."

She gasped sharply, and looked straight into his eyes, just barely daring to feel hope. But doubt seeped in, and he felt it.

"I would know. He's my father."

"I want to see him," she said hopefully, a small smile working its way onto her face.

"After the storm," Kagome interrupted. "We couldn't possibly get to Okirei in this weather."

Kishitaro inhaled sharply, stood, and hurried to the door. "What is it?" Kagome asked, also getting to her feet.

He opened the door and stepped out for a moment. A familiar voice called his name desperately. "Come in here, quickly," he said to the person outside. He quickly retreated back into the room with a very distraught Kagura. She had hastily hidden her ears under an old knit cap, and a pair of dark sunglasses sat crookedly on her face, obscuring her eyes.

Rin made a small noise of fear, her eyes wide. Kagome, recalling that Rin's encounters with Kagura had not been friendly ones, went to her side and whispered, "It's all right, Rin. Kagura is Kishitaro's mother." Rin looked at her in surprise, but said nothing.

Kishitaro helped Kagura to the loveseat. "Mother, what's wrong? Why are you here?"

"He's gone, Kishitaro! No one can find him anywhere! Amoyael and Antheron have been searching for days, but he's nowhere to be found! Okirei will fall apart without him! Already there are demons launching attacks on the humans!" She sobbed into her hands. "He never would have left without telling me! And your uncle can't even pick up his scent! Something terrible has happened, I just know it!" Her breath was shaky, and she couldn't stop crying. "Sesshomaru…where could you be?" she whispered.

Kishitaro shook his head sadly. Kagome bit her lip, not knowing what to say.

"Lord Sesshomaru is missing?" Rin asked, suddenly not afraid.

Kagura looked up sharply, having been unaware that someone besides Kagome and her son was in the room. "I know you from somewhere," she murmured.

The girl nodded. "I'm Rin."

**The End! Well, for this chapter at least. Now, be good readers and tell me what you think, give suggestions for the plot if you have any, and feel free to predict away. All it requires is clicking the little button and submitting a review. 'Kay? Thanks!**


	3. To Begin the Search

**Alrighty. Now you're all probably wondering what's going on. I mean, Rin's there, and Floofles is missing! Oh, by the way, Floofles is Sesshomaru's new nickname! **

**Otulia: We don't own InuYasha. **

To Begin the Search

"Rin?" Kagura's eyes filled with tears. She got shakily to her feet and walked around the table. "It's really you."

Kagome and Kishitaro watched quietly. Neither knew what this encounter would result in.

Neither expected what happened next.

"I'm so sorry," Kagura whispered sadly, enveloping Rin in a hug. "I'm so sorry, for everything in the past. I'm no longer your enemy, but your friend."

Rin nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying. "If Lady Kagome trusts you, then I do, too." She paused, a stray tear escaping. "But…what about Lord Sesshomaru?"

"We'll find him. We have to find him," the wind sorceress promised.

"I miss him so much," the girl whimpered.

"Rest assured, he missed you, too…much more than he would ever admit."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Rin asked, clinging tightly to Kagome as they flew through the stormy sky. The snow swirled around them, and the winds howled. It should have been impossible to fly through that weather. But Kagura, standing tall on the other feather, used her fans to calm the air around them. They traveled in a pocket of calm amid the violent turbulence.

"To Okirei. It's the secret demon city that Sesshomaru rules over. He and Kagura have kept it hidden from humans," Kagome explained. She glanced ahead at Kishitaro and his mother. They were conversing in hushed tones, their countenances grave. _This is bad,_ she thought.

Kishitaro turned his head and met her gaze. _Yes…it is._

"Secret demon city?" Rin murmured. "So that means that the demon extermination failed…Lord Sesshomaru saved them?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes. And he's kept them safe ever since. I never even knew the city was there, that demons still existed in this time, until I met Kishitaro."

Rin looked over at Kishitaro. She could hardly believe that the demon who had practically raised her now had a family. Even harder to believe was that he'd fallen in love with Kagura. But Kishitaro…Kishitaro seemed so out of place here. Looking back at Kagome, she realized why. InuYasha wasn't here. Never had she seen Kagome without him somewhere nearby. And the way Kagome looked at Kishitaro…it was the same way she'd looked at InuYasha so long ago. Kishitaro had taken his place.

"It's just up ahead!" Kagura called back to them over the roar of the storm. "The snow may be deep, so be careful when you get off."

Kagome and Rin nodded ad the feathers descended toward the ground. Rin squinted through the raging snow. She didn't see anything out there. But…there was a huge demonic aura. She could see it clearly, without even having to try. It would take hundreds of demons, at least, to create an aura that big.

_Stay calm, Rin,_ Kishitaro's voice rang through her mind. _I'm going to let you see the city._

She gulped, and within a second's time, an enormous city spread before her eyes. With awe, she gazed upon the demon city of Okirei. The streets were empty, due to the snowstorm, but the sheer number of buildings attested to the fact that there were hundreds, probably thousands of demons living there.

The feathers came to a stop, hovering about a foot above the snow. "Alright, let's go." Kagome jumped to the ground and shrieked in surprise. The snow was up to her knees, and she was stuck.

Rin climbed down more carefully, being sure to properly distribute her weight so she wouldn't suffer the same fate as Kagome.

"This is just great," the priestess muttered, trying in vain to get out of her snowy snare, only to lose her balance and fall face first into the white fluff.

Kishitaro laughed, despite the problem that faced them. He walked over to her and picked her up. "Humans were not made for the snow," he teased, grinning.

"And demons were?" she retorted huffily.

"We don't sink, if that's what you're asking." Sure enough, neither he nor Kagura was having any trouble with the snow.

Rin trotted over to them. "Why aren't you sinking?" Kagome asked, curious.

"Centuries of practice," was her sad reply.

"Hurry, let's get inside, before this storm gets any worse," Kagura interrupted.

They followed her inside the manor they had landed in front of, quickly shutting out the storm.

Rin looked around in wonder. Though the place was simply decorated, it was fit for a king. The walls were painted honey yellow, and intricate crystal chandeliers hung at intervals along the halls. Kagura led them around many corners, and through a few rooms, each of which was as gorgeous as the next.

Rin walked beside Kagura, uncomfortable. This couldn't be where Sesshomaru lived. She could not image him here. He'd never been one for grandeur, and in most cases, scorned it. "This is just for show," Kagura whispered to her, as if reading her thoughts. "It helps Sesshomaru keep order in Okirei if the council members are impressed when they visit."

Rin nodded slightly, understanding. It made sense. She knew from her time spent with him that not all demons would obey him just because of his power.

They went through a final door and emerged into a much plainer room. It was quite large, but dimly lit. By the wall opposite them, Rin could see two figures, one in white, and the other in black. They turned to face the newcomers, and time seemed to slow.

They approached, slowly, their features becoming clear as the distance between them closed. The darker figure was a tall and slender man, nearly the spitting image of Kagura, from the raven hair which hung down past his shoulders to his eerily red eyes. Rin paid him no mind. It was the other person who drew her attention. Her silver hair and cold, emotionless golden eyes brought back memories from so long in the past. Memories of happiness that only served to fill her with sadness and pain. Memories of her beloved Lord Sesshomaru.

"Mother," the woman hissed angrily.

"You've brought another human among us?" the man asked incredulously.

"She's no human, surely," the woman snapped at him. "She reeks of death."

"Antheron, calm yourself," Kagura commanded, standing tall. She seemed as if the incident at the library had never happened. "Rin is our guest. She once traveled with your father."

Antheron was silenced.

"Amoyael, have you found anything?"

"No, mother, we haven't. Theron tracked his scent to the center of Okirei before the snow obscured it. He was following his usual route." As he spoke, he stared at Rin from the corner of his eye. "Father has never mentioned Rin," he remarked.

"You know he prefers not to speak of the past." That was Kishitaro. "Mother knew her then as well, though at that time, they were enemies."

Amoyael's eyes widened in surprise. Antheron stepped forward and said, "Impossible! That was over five hundred years ago! She must be a phantom to be here now!"

"I am no phantom." Although she spoke quietly, all eyes turned to Rin. "Though twice I have experienced death. The first time, Lord Sesshomaru brought me back to life with the Tenseiga. The second, I was resurrected by a demon with knowledge of the black arts."

What followed was an awkward silence, in which no one knew what to do. Kagome stepped forward timidly. "Um, now that we've all been introduced, shouldn't we be concentrating on finding Sesshomaru?"

**And, CUT! Okay, kinda boring, I know. I blame writer's block! But I finally got it done! So now, unless you want to face Rin's undying wrath, review for me!**


	4. The Will to Escape: Part One

**Yes! I've finally remembered what I was going to write for this chapter! I actually started it on paper at school a while ago, but I temporarily lost it and found it just now. Oh, and one more note, my toe hurts. Rather badly. Sesshomaru is all smug because he finally got me to admit it.**

**Otulia: We don't own anyone or anything created by Rumiko Takahashi! **

The Will to Escape: Part One

Slowly, he awoke, drifting uneasily into consciousness. He tried to open his eyes, but could not. As his mind cleared, he found he was completely unable to move. An angry growl began in his throat, but was unable to escape. With sheer force of will, he struggled against the paralysis that infuriated him so.

A strangely familiar presence made itself known in the form of a pleasant, feminine voice. It sent chills down his spine.

"You have no idea how long it took me to track you down."

He had heard that voice before, but where, or when, he was unable to recall. One thing he knew, however, with absolute and unwavering certainty, is that it meant trouble on a grandiose scale.

Footsteps echoed around him, soft, delicate, carefree. For some unknown reason, the sound of them awoke a deep sadness within him that struck to the very center of his being. It was as if they were reminding him of someone he once knew, long ago. But his memory failed him; he could not recall who.

"You'll be able to move soon enough."

That voice, which was so gentle, so calm, angered him beyond reason, though he knew not why. His instincts flared, telling him that this voice came from an enemy, a dangerous one, and he must be free. He must fight, and escape.

"Please don't fight the spell. You'll get hurt."

Once again, that voice, echoing in his ears. This time, it carried a queer mixture of concern and indifference that reminded him of…of…once again, he could not recall. Indeed, he couldn't remember anything prior to waking up. Only brief flickers of memory that vanished as quickly as they came.

Reason rose once more to the surface. He knew not what was going on, or even where he was, not to mention who he was being held captive by. These things and more he needed to know before he could escape. For now, he would cease his struggles and wait. He could do nothing until the force binding him and restricting his movements dissipated. But he would undoubtedly find his freedom.

"That's better, now, isn't it?"

**Yes, it's short. There will be one of these annoyingly short little chapters stuck in here every now and then. Deal with it. I like them. Now, if you please, review! Because thanks to the upgrades, I know who you people are that add stories of mine as favorites but don't leave me even a tiny little encouraging review! And it makes me so sad!**


	5. Holding Onto Hope

**Gomenasai! But I'm updating now, so don't kill me!**

**Otulia: Yeah…anything recognizable as belonging to the InuYasha universe is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and not Kinkatia. She's just using them to entertain people going through anime withdrawal and such. **

Holding Onto Hope

Days had passed. More than anyone liked to count. Then weeks made their way into the span of time. And still, a month later, there had been no sign of Sesshomaru. It was as if he had vanished from the face of the Earth.

Kagome sighed over her mug of hot cocoa. She was feeling rather useless in the search, as she couldn't stay in Okirei all the time. People would notice her absence, and she didn't want anyone thinking it was a repeat of her school days.

"Why the long face, Kagome?" Ayumi dropped herself gracefully into the chair opposite her.

"Just feeling a little lonely, that's all," she lied. "Kishitaro's gone back home for a bit."

"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe I can cheer you up."

Kagome eyed her suspiciously. Though Eri and Yuka were the main culprits, she had gotten a fair share of torment from Ayumi as well, in attempts to 'cheer her up.'

"Do you remember the cat guy I was telling you about?" she asked eagerly.

"You mean the one you met at the cultural festival last month?"

Ayumi nodded, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "Uh-huh. I saw him again the other night."

Kagome's anxieties were immediately banished. "You did? What happened?"

"Well, I was running late getting home, so I decided to take a shortcut through the park, even though it was dark," she said, a smile creeping across her features. "I was about halfway through when someone snuck up behind me…

"_It's not very safe for a lady to be walking out here alone at night."_

_Ayumi jumped, rooted to the spot in fear. She had always heard stories of girls getting kidnapped by strangers when they were walking by themselves after dark. She silently berated herself. Hadn't her mother always told her to stay on the main streets if she had to walk alone?_

_Slowly, she turned around to face the person behind her, and gasped._

"_It's you!" they exclaimed in unison, eyes wide. They blinked at one another before Ayumi laughed, a slight blush on her cheeks. She was standing face to face with the guy she'd met at the cultural festival the month before._

"_You really scared me for a minute there," she said, smiling._

_He chuckled in return, looking sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to." There was a short, awkward silence, before he spoke again. "Like I said, it's not very safe for you to be walking out here alone."_

"_I know," Ayumi replied. "But I'm running a little late…" Her eyes widened in realization. "On, no, I'm late!"_

"_Feh, is that all you think about? You should be more worried for your safety." He laughed again when she glared at him. "Look, I'll walk with you, alright?"_

"_Oh! Uh…sure. Thank you."_

"He really walked you home?" Kagome asked, almost squealing with excitement.

Ayumi nodded. "When we got to my house, I went to ask him his name, but he had vanished."

"Oh, so mysterious!" Kagome really was squealing now. "I wonder if you'll see him again."

"I hope so," Ayumi admitted, somewhat abashedly. "He's really sweet."

The door to the café opened and closed, and soft footsteps approached them. "Kagome?"

The girls looked up at their visitor, and Kagome's smile went down a notch. "Hi, Rin. This is my friend Ayumi. Ayumi, this is Rin."

Rin smiled warmly, though her eyes were still saddened. "It's nice to meet you," she said softly.

Ayumi nodded, glancing sidelong at Kagome.

"Is there any news?" Kagome asked.

Rin nodded. "Kishitaro wanted to know if you'd be able to go for a visit soon."

"Yeah, I'm not busy for the next few days. I'll come with you when you head back."

After Rin had left, Ayumi turned to Kagome. "What was that about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is there something serious going on with Kishitaro? And how does that girl know him?"

Kagome racked her brain for something to tell her. "Kishitaro's only sorting things out with his family, that's all. And Rin is his sister."

"His sister? She doesn't look like him."

"That's because they aren't biological siblings. Kishitaro's father adopted Rin."

* * *

"Damn it!"

Kagome flinched; she'd never seen Kishitaro so angry.

"I lost him! He was there, for a moment, but I couldn't hold the connection!"

"But that means he's still in Okirei." Kagura asked, putting her arms around her son. "You did well, Kishitaro. Now we know he's still here." She didn't voice what else she was thinking, though everyone was thinking the same thing. _And we know he's still alive._

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" Antheron asked anxiously.

He shook his head. "No. I was stretched to my limits when I felt him. There's something or someone hiding him." He sighed, sinking down into a nearby chair, exhausted.

"It's a start, though. Better than not knowing anything, after all," Kagome said, taking his hand and smiling at him.

"I'll try again once after I rest for a bit," he said quietly, his eyelids drooping. A moment later, he'd fallen asleep, his efforts to locate his father taking their toll.

"He's been pushing himself too hard," Amoyael said into the silence, speaking for the first time since Kagome had arrived. He was leaning against the wall in the corner, arms crossed, staring at the floor. "It's not good for him; he's never used his telepathy to this extent before."

"He needs a day to recover," InuYasha said, leaving his place in the doorway to stand by Rin.

Kagome nodded. It was still awkward for her to talk to him, but she was thankful that he wasn't dwelling on the past. "Yeah. He might not want to waste any time, though."

"If he rests, it will help him to find Father much faster, in the long run," Antheron said.

Kagura smiled sadly. "When he wakes up, I'll take the two of you home."

**Ahhh!!!! Bad chapter alert!!! But…I got something done, right? Right?!?! Hopefully the next chapter won't be so bad…review anyway, though! Please?????**


	6. Lull

**I can't stay focused on anything…not on anything at all…but I can try, right? Gr…the approaching start of the great noveling escapade known as NaNoWriMo is making my mind wander elsewhere!**

**Otulia: All hail the Great Rumiko Takahashi, the wonderful and all-powerful creator of InuYasha! And then applaud Kinkatia, the less wonderful and powerful creator of Kishitaro and his siblings.**

Lull

"I don't need a rest," Kishitaro insisted calmly. "I'm perfectly capable of trying to find Father again."

"Don't be foolish, little brother," Amoyael replied just as calmly. "If you continue to push yourself past your limits, you will be of no use to us."

Kishitaro nearly growled, glaring daggers at his brother. "You don't know anything about my limits, Yael!" he snapped irritably.

"I know more than you, it seems," he said bemusedly.

The others stood back, watching the exchange with interest. "They remind me of two brothers I met way back when," Kagome whispered with a smile. InuYasha grunted in return and Rin let out a quiet chuckle.

"You should learn to take better care of yourself, Kishi," Amoyael said dismissively as he turned and stalked regally out of the room, reminding them all eerily of his father.

"Aw, shove off," Kishitaro huffed, defeated. He was perfectly aware that he was risking his own health and sanity by pushing the limits of his mind, but he was desperate to find his father.

"C'mon, Kishitaro," Kagome said gently, moving to his side. "Let's go home, just for a day, alright? It'll be easier for you to find him if you're rested."

* * *

Rin stared balefully out the window at the snow piled up in hazardous drifts outside. She hated winter. Once, the season had held nothing but joy for her, but after all these centuries, it only brought back memories of happier days, and strengthened the ache in her heart.

"_Lord Sesshomaru, it's snowing!"_

_He looked her way with the barest trace of a smile. "Indeed."_

_She stuck out her tongue, trying to catch the fluffy snowflakes on her tongue._

"_Stupid girl," Jaken muttered, crossing his arms. "Always making a fool of herself. She should learn how to behave properly!"_

_She heard his words, but didn't take them to heart. "Cheer up, Master Jaken!"_

_He muttered something under his breath that she didn't catch, but she had a feeling it wasn't very nice. She could tell Lord Sesshomaru had heard him, though, by the sudden stiffening of his shoulders._

_And then it happened. She was the only one who saw it, and doubted she'd ever see it happen again. In one fluid movement, the taiyoukai bent down, scooped up a handful of the freshly fallen snow, compacted it into a sphere, threw it at Jaken, and then returned to his former position as if nothing had happened. _

_The poor imp never knew what hit him, and she couldn't stop laughing._

Sighing, Rin turned from the window. She needed company to keep her mind off her loneliness. With Kagura flying Kishitaro and Kagome back to Tokyo, only the twins were there. She would seek out Amoyael; from the short time she'd been in Okirei, she found that he tolerated her presence better than his sister.

* * *

"I'm afraid I've got to get back immediately," Kagura said, standing in the doorway of Kagome's apartment. "The demons are getting restless, and Amoyael can't handle them on his own should they act up."

Kishitaro sighed wearily from his place on the couch. "Don't worry about it, Mother," he called over his shoulder. "With Theron and her temper on his side, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes. Bidding Kagura a safe return flight, she closed the door and dropped herself into Kishitaro's lap. "It's been a while since we've had some time to ourselves," she said quietly, resting her head against his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. "Yeah…Father always did have a way of getting in the way of things."

Kagome chuckled quietly. "Tell me about it."

* * *

Antheron stalked angrily into the courtyard. Nothing was going the way it should anymore. Her life had always been ordered, had always made sense. Her father had always been there.

It wasn't fair; he couldn't just disappear like that! He was supposed to be there to make sure everything was normal! He was supposed to be there to make her feel like she was needed! Her mother had taken control of Okirei, and Amoyael was beating down the demons that dared make a move on the humans in the absence of their long-time leader. Even Kishitaro, who had chosen to live among the filthy mortals, was doing something to help, using the power their father had hated to find him! And she…she couldn't do anything…

"Lady Antheron?"

She froze, tensing at the sound of that voice.

"I know it's not my place to say so, but Lord Sesshomaru would want you to be strong."

She whirled around, fire blazing in her molten eyes, glaring at the girl who dared approach her. "Why are you here?" she hissed.

Rin did not back down. "Lord Amoyael and Lady Kagura are both gone, and I didn't want to be alone," she said quietly. "It's hard to be strong when you're alone."

"What would you know?" Antheron snapped.

"He was my father before he was yours," Rin whispered, eyes downcast. "And I've been without him for centuries."

* * *

A shrill scream filled the air of Sheehan. Young half-demons scattered, running for their lives.

"Mama! Papa!" a small girl cried desperately, tears filling her eyes as she stared fearfully up at the demon towering over her.

"Kessita!" Shippo and Ai exclaimed as one, dashing toward the sound of their daughter's voice.

When she came in sight, Ai stopped in her tracks, forgetting to breathe, while Shippo ran on ahead. Several houses had been obliterated, and two were on fire. In the middle of the destruction, her beloved daughter was cowering on the ground, Sesshomaru standing above her.

**Feel free to insert foreboding music here! I'm finally updating! Hurrah! **


	7. The Will to Escape: Part Two

**This chapter is dedicated solely to my best friend; the villain in this here fic!**

**Otulia: Uh…whatever.**

The Will to Escape: Part Two

He could open his eyes now. He could turn his head. He didn't understand it, but the spell keeping him bound was weakening. It had happened when he had felt something-some_one_-touch his mind. The presence was brief, just a flicker of someone else being there, someone unfamiliar and yet familiar at once, but it was enough to weaken the spell.

He had to be underground.

The room he was in was dim, the air damp and cold, smelling of winter and snow. There was but one door, behind him, which he could see just out of the corner of his eye if he turned his head far enough.

He was sitting in a chair; a cushioned one that was not at all uncomfortable, perhaps a compensation for his inability to move.

With a slight creak, the door opened.

The same soft footsteps that both infuriated and saddened him made their way over to him.

She stopped behind him, no doubt smiling. "Feeling any better, Fluffykins? Don't worry, you'll be free soon. I just wish there was something I could do to make the spell wear off sooner."

He growled low in his throat. Her sickly sweet tone infuriated him. And she dared call him by such a condescending name? She would pay for disrespecting him! Didn't she know who he was?

His internal rant came to an abrupt halt. He didn't even know who he was.

Slowly turning his head, he managed to catch a glimpse of a purple gown and short dark hair before she moved out of his narrow line of sight.

"Don't worry, my Fluffykins! I'll bring you something delicious when I come back!"

And then she was gone, leaving him alone once more in that infuriating room.

**Short, yes. But deal with it. I literally just wrote this in ten minutes. That's a new record for me. Plus, two updates in a row! Within ten minutes of each other! Hah! Stepping away from a fic really does help! Now review, please?!?!**


	8. Chances

**Sally forth, troops!**

**Otulia: Onward!**

Chances

"What's going on, Kagura? I demand to know!"

"Ai, what in the world do you mean?"

"You're in on it, too, aren't you? Finally gotten tired of us, haven't you?"

"Ai, calm down! This isn't going to get anywhere!"

Thus was the scene Kagome, Kishitaro and Amoyael walked in on upon returning to Okirei; Ai, angry tears sliding down her cheeks, was yelling at a very bewildered Kagura. Shippo stood beside her, trying in vain to calm her. Rin and Antheron stood off to the side, clearly at a loss for what to do.

"Guys, what's going on?" Kagome asked, hurrying forward.

"Sesshomaru attacked Sheehan and tried to kill my daughter, that's what!" Ai snapped furiously, stamping her foot.

"Lord Sesshomaru would never do that!"

"That's a lie!"

"He's been missing for months!"

"Father isn't so foolish."

"Tell me what happened." Kishitaro, the only one to not protest, stepped between Ai and his mother.

"I told you already! Sesshomaru attacked us! We've got months of rebuilding ahead, and Kessita is terrified out of her wits!"

Kishitaro sighed. "I've got a better idea. Show me what happened." She nodded, and he placed his hand on her head, closing his eyes.

The scene flashed before his mind's eye, and he withdrew from her silently. All eyes were on him, waiting for him to either confirm or refute Ai's claim.

Finally, he spoke. "Sheehan was attacked. It looked like Father…"

Antheron bit her lip, eyes widening. "Surely he wouldn't…"

Kishitaro shook his head. "He had neither Tokijin nor Tenseiga with him. It's possible that someone has created a demon puppet in his image."

Silence greeted his statement. If there truly was someone out there powerful enough to create a demon puppet in the image of another demon, they were in deep trouble.

"We have to find him," Antheron said, uncharacteristically quiet. "If another attack like that happens, then the demons of Okirei will lose their faith in him. We could have a war on our hands."

"Indeed we could, dear sister," Amoyael agreed. "We need a plan."

InuYasha paused, just outside the room, a thoughtful look on his face. Silently, he withdrew, leaving the others to puzzle over what to do.

* * *

Ayumi walked through her front door and dropped her bag on the floor. Walking to the kitchen to get something to snack on, she sifted through the day's mail. It was the usual; bills, a letter for her mother, a stack of junk mail. She dropped the bills and letter onto the kitchen counter. Halfheartedly skimming through the junk mail, a brown envelope with her name scribbled across the front caught her eye.

There was no stamp, no sign at all that it had been delivered through the post, implying that it had been slipped into the mailbox by someone other than the mail carrier. There was no return address, leaving her wondering who it was from.

She dropped the other envelopes into the trashcan and opened the one with her name on it. Inside were several white sheets of paper, written in the same messy hand as her name on the front of the envelope. She didn't recognize the handwriting.

Sighing, she went up to her room, dropped onto her bed, and began to read.

_You're probably wondering who this letter is from. I can't tell you my name just yet, but I was the cat demon you met at the cultural festival. I know your name only because we've met before, even though you probably can't remember. _

_I'm leaving you this letter because there's a problem that needs to be solved, and I think you can help. But before I tell you what the problem is, I need to know; would you believe me if I told you that demons are still around?_

She looked up, contemplating the idea. Demons? Could there truly be demons among them? She shook her head with a sigh. She would have to see proof to believe it.

_The demons all live in a hidden city called Okirei. The problem is there. Their leader, and my older brother, has gone missing._

Her eyes widened in shock. "What does he mean?" she whispered to herself. "Is he a demon, too?"

_Without him, the demons living in the city are growing rebellious, and have already started attacking the humans living nearby. Only by finding my brother can we stop them, since it's his power that keeps them under control. They're afraid of the consequences of breaking the demon laws. _

_One of the demons helping us is telepathic, and has managed to connect with his mind only once, and only for a second. Something is hiding him from us._

_And now, there are demon puppets that look like him attacking our own. We've got to find my brother soon. I know you're smart, and we need the help of someone who doesn't know him to figure this out. I'm not usually one to admit this, but our feelings are getting in the way._

_Ayumi, will you help us?_

"I don't know," she thought aloud, staring at her ceiling. "This doesn't make any sense. Demons don't really exist, do they? But what if they do? What if they really need help? Could I really do anything for them?"

* * *

InuYasha waited anxiously on the roof. He was worried about what he had just done. If his instinct had been wrong, then he could have just jeopardized the entire demon population.

He heard the door below him slide open, and his breath caught in his chest.

"Uhm, Mr. Demon, sir?" an unsure voice asked. "If you're here, uhm, I'll help, if I can."

Relief flooded through him. Silently, he dropped to the ground behind her. "Thank you, Ayumi," he said softly.

She whirled around, and her eyes widened in surprise. "You're…you're InuYasha!" she exclaimed. "I don't understand, I thought—"

"Don't start blabbering on me," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'll explain."

* * *

"I know Father's out there somewhere, but we can't go on like this," Amoyael said. "The general population has already realized that he isn't here."

Antheron looked at him. "What are we supposed to do about it, Yael?" she asked helplessly.

Ai, sitting across from her with a cup of tea, frowned thoughtfully. "They need a leader."

Kishitaro nodded agreement. "They need to know there's someone in charge."

Shippo looked around at everyone before saying reluctantly, "Most of them don't trust Kagura."

Said wind sorceress sighed wearily. "I always knew Naraku would find a way to come back and haunt me," she muttered. Resigned, she pinned her gaze on her eldest son. "That leaves only one choice. Amoyael, you will have to step up and take your father's place until we can find him."

Kagome and Rin, off to the side, exchanged worried glances. Being humans, they were not allowed a say in the final decision, but they both knew it would be risky.

Kishitaro caught their thoughts and voiced them aloud. "We'll have to be careful about declaring him as leader," he warned. "Yael might be competent enough to handle the role, given help, but he's still young. There will be those who don't feel he's ready for the position."

Antheron fidgeted quietly, staring at her hands in her lap. She knew they were right, but she couldn't help but feel cheated. Technically, she was the eldest, and it should be her to step into the position. But she knew she wasn't suited for it. Her temper often got the better of her, and she made rash decisions. It would be for the best.

Amoyael stood up forcefully, hands clenched into fists on the tabletop. He fixed each of them with a piercing gaze, fighting back the wave of emotion that threatened to engulf him. "I'll do it," he bit out, "but only if Theron can as well. We are a team, and we will rule together until Father is found and resumes his role."

Ai set down her cup and folded her hands in front of her. "How will the council react to that? We have to take that into consideration."

"It's perfect!" Kishitaro suddenly exclaimed. "Together, Theron and Yael are nearly equal to Father in strength. And, if they both take over, it's less likely that it will be perceived as an act of desperation. All of Okirei has seen how well they work together, and should feel secure under their guidance."

Antheron smiled a small smile. "It's still risky, though," she said quietly. "There are a lot of demons out there that don't like me very much."

Kagura nodded and stood. "That's a chance we'll have to take."

**Okay, after a month of inactivity due to NaNoWriMo, I'm back, and updating! Be prepared for better quality, since I've learned a thing or two about writing in the past thirty days.**

**Now…REVIEW! I miss hearing from you guys!!!! –cries-**


	9. Movement

**Let's see if the chances they took in the last chapter were the right ones!**

**Rienne: Kinkatia, if you don't get your maniacal PuppetMaster away from me, I'll kill her. **

**-rolls eyes- I'll get rid of her if you do the disclaimer!**

**Rienne: -sighs- Fine. Only Kishitaro, Amoyael, Antheron, Okirei, Kessita, Sheehan (if that's the name…I can't remember), and all the half-demon children belong to Kinkatia. Everyone else was created by Rumiko Takahashi.**

Movement

Kagome stood behind Kishitaro and his siblings, gaping in awe at the congregation of demons that had gathered at Kagura's summons. Despite the snow and the biting wind, they had all come out to hear what she had to say.

Rin stood beside her, trembling slightly. Kagome put a hand on her shoulder, knowing she was feeling the same thing she was; an instinct to run. Neither had had many pleasant encounters with demons, and being the only humans so near to so many of them was unsettling. It didn't help that they were being thrown suspicious looks by several of the demons near the front of the gathering.

_Don't worry; Yael and Theron will ensure your safety here,_ Kishitaro projected into their minds. _No one will harm you._

Kagome smiled, his voice in her mind putting her at ease. She felt Rin begin to relax at her side. _As long as they don't start calling me 'wench,' I think I'll be fine,_ she thought, and a quiet chuckle let her know he had heard her.

Kagura stepped forward, and silence descended, the demons showing her respect despite the lack of trust most of them had in her. "Citizens of Okirei," she began authoritatively, "I am sure that many among you have noticed the absence of my husband, our ruler. He has gone on an unannounced trip to the continent, and the date of his return in uncertain at this point."

A murmur of discontent rippled through the ranks of the demons, and Kagura waited patiently for them to quiet before continuing.

"As Sesshomaru's mate, it falls to me to see that Okirei is kept in order. I feel that it is best if leadership is not left in my hands, but passed on to someone better suited for the role. And so, I have called you here to announce that, until such time as Sesshomaru returns, my eldest children, Antheron and Amoyael, shall take on the role of our rulers."

The twins stepped forward together amid the chorus of confusion that arose from their audience. "Silence," Amoyael said. He was immediately obeyed. Kagome watched in awe as each and every demon trained their eyes on him, waiting with reverence for what he had to say.

He took his time, looking over each and every one of them. "I understand that this change in leadership is unexpected and unsettling. Rest assured, my sister and I will uphold the laws set down by our father."

Theron flipped open one of her fans. "However, there is something we wish to make clear," she added. "You have noticed the humans standing behind us. They are our guests. You will treat them as such. The same applies to any other human we allow to enter our city." Her fan shut with a loud snap as she finished, and she glared out at the demons, daring them to protest. Not one did.

Kagome smiled. _I think this arrangement will work out nicely, _she thought.

_Like I said before, it's perfect, _Kishitaro thought to her, and she felt the pride in the thought. Pride for his siblings.

* * *

"So, your telepath has been searching for your brother from his house? Is it in the center of the city?" Ayumi asked, brow furrowed in thought.

InuYasha shook his head. "No, it's on the outskirts. Sesshomaru's never liked to feel closed in."

"There's something you should try, then," she said brightly. "If he goes to the center of the city, he won't have to reach as far with his mind, and he might connect with your brother without so much strain."

InuYasha smiled. "I can't believe no one thought of that!"

She returned the smile. "It's understandable. If everyone is trying to find him without letting the rest of the demons know what's going on, it's natural that the pressure would hide simple solutions from them." Her smile faded as she went on, "I just wish there was more that I could do to help. It's hard, when I'm so distant from the entire problem. I've only your perspective to go on."

InuYasha opened his mouth to say something, then hesitated. He hadn't spent enough time in Okirei to know if what he had in mind would be acceptable. But then again, when had he ever cared what everyone else thought?

"I could take you there, if it would help," he offered.

She jumped up excitedly. "You really mean it?"

* * *

Retreating inside the manor, Kagome rubbed her arms, teeth chattering. "I hate the cold," she muttered miserably.

Rin shook her head, smiling. "Nobody likes the cold," she said.

Kishitaro walked over to them. "Have either of you seen my uncle?" he asked. "He hasn't shown his face all day."

Kagome paused mid-step. "Come to think of it, no, I haven't seen him. Maybe he's in his room?"

He shrugged. "He could be. I haven't been down that way to check."

A mischievous grin slowly spread across Kagome's face. "Let's go check, shall we? Want to come, Rin?"

Rin shook her head. "No thank you. I'd rather visit with Lady Ai."

Kagome shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'm going to pester InuYasha." Without waiting for a reply, she darted down the corridor and out of sight.

Kishitaro watched her go, laughing quietly. Rin looked at him, then down the hall Kagome had disappeared down. "Kishitaro," she ventured hesitantly, "How is Kagome so happy all the time?"

He smiled warmly at her. "She's a positive thinker. I might hear a lot of internal grumblings from her, but overall, she believes the best of people." Rin nodded, understanding, but yet not understanding.

* * *

InuYasha came to a halt without warning, sniffing the air. On his back, Ayumi shifted uneasily. "Is something wrong?" she asked nervously.

He looked back at the cluster of buildings they had just passed. "I smell Sesshomaru," he said slowly. "He's back there, but…why would he be hanging around humans?"

"I think we should find out," she said pensively. "Didn't you say that someone made a demon puppet of him? Couldn't it just be another one?"

He cursed under his breath and started running back the way they had come. "If it is a puppet, it'll attack the humans!"

Ayumi clung to him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut as he put on an extra burst of speed. Though he had assured and reassured her that he wouldn't drop her, she was still afraid that she would fall.

It wasn't long before he once again skidded to a halt. Ayumi peered over his shoulder warily, and was greeted by the sight she had never thought she'd see. A tall man in white with long, silvery hair was attacking the homes nearby while people fled, screaming in terror.

"It's a puppet alright," InuYasha snarled angrily, setting her on her feet. "Sesshomaru would never attack humans!"

"What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice trembling as the demon swung a glowing green whip at the fleeing humans.

"Stop him, that's what," he replied gruffly. "Wait here."

Before she could protest, he charged into the fray. He reached to his side and unsheathed his sword, the blade instantly transforming into its demonic state. She watched, wide-eyed, as he swung it at the demon, and a blinding yellow wave of energy erupted from it. The puppet had no way of evading the blast, and was hit full force. When the dust cleared, it was nowhere to be seen.

Returning his sword to its scabbard, he walked slowly back to her. "This isn't good," he said gravely. "We have to find Sesshomaru before something else like this happens.

**Gah! No! Sesshy-onii is being framed!!!! –grins- Please leave a nice, thoughtful review! I miss getting them!**


	10. Discoveries

**Updating more regularly, aren't I?**

**Otulia: Eh, I think we've put enough disclaimers in this fic…**

Discoveries

"Kagome," Kishitaro sighed, standing in the doorway with arms crossed.

"Yeah?" she asked, peering underneath of InuYasha's bed.

"What are you doing?"

She looked up and met his eyes, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. "What's it look like I'm doing?" she asked playfully, walking over to the closet and prying open the door.

He rolled his eyes and decided to play along. "It looks like you're snooping through my uncle's room."

"Bingo!" she exclaimed, grinning at him and pulling a black silken haori. "He _does_ where something other than red!" She held it up to show him, and something fell from it to the floor. Curious, she bent over to see what it was.

Kishitaro straightened suddenly, looking over his shoulder. "Uncle InuYasha is back," he told her, worry lacing his voice. "Something bad must have happened, for his thoughts to jump out at me like this."

She stood up, the fallen object in her hand. "Really? Any idea what it could be?"

Kishitaro grimaced. "Not really. I'm mostly getting a lot of really loud swearing."

Sighing, Kagome turned back to the closet. "I guess my snooping's over then." She tossed the haori back in, then turned her eyes to the thing she'd picked up. Her eyes went wide as she beheld a black felt-covered headband with cat ears sewn onto the sides.

Kishitaro frowned at her disbelieving expression. "What's wrong?"

She didn't reply, only staring intently at the cat ears, remembering something she had been told nearly two months before. _"He was taller than me, and he was wearing black," _Ayumi's voice repeated in her mind. _"He had dark, almost violet eyes, and he had really long black hair. And there were fake cat ears on his head."_

Kagome gasped in realization and looked up just in time to see InuYasha appear behind Kishitaro. "I need your help," he told his nephew. "C'mon."

Kishitaro nodded and followed him back down the corridor. Kagome followed after, trying to form her thoughts into coherent words.

He led them out of the manor and into the winter cold. "Can you let her see the city?" he asked Kishitaro, inclining his head toward someone standing there.

Kagome shook her head, ignoring everyone but InuYasha himself. "You're the cat demon Ayumi met at the cultural festival! It was the night of the new moon, wasn't it? Why didn't you tell me?"

He crossed his arms and responded with a typical, "Keh."

An astonished gasp drew her attention from him to the person standing behind him, and she nearly fell over in shock. "Ayumi?" She looked back at InuYasha. "You brought Ayumi here, to Okirei?"

Ayumi stepped forward. "I came to help, Kagome," she said quietly, glancing around in awe.

Kagome made a face and Kishitaro laughed quietly. "This is too much to find out once," she said flatly, storming back into the manor. "And it's cold out here!"

* * *

"I can't believe we didn't think of this," Kishitaro grumbled, eyes scanning the demons in the crowd around him. The market at the heart of Okirei was packed, business booming. It was all the group could do to keep to together, and Kishitaro checked in on them telepathically every few minutes to make sure no one had run across trouble.

They had had to stop twice already. The first time was to wait for a group of young gossipy demonesses to stop pestering Amoyael and Antheron. The second time, all chaos nearly broke loose when a paranoid demon, sensing that Kagome was a priestess, tried to run her through with his horn. Since then, she had been clinging tightly to Kishitaro's arm, trying not to let her fear show.

He turned his eyes on her for a moment, reassuring her with a smile and a kind thought before checking in with the others again.

InuYasha was still in sight, internally grumbling about idiotic demons trying to hurt his friends. Despite all that had happened, he was still protective of Kagome, and probably always would be. Ayumi stayed close to him, marveling at everyone and everything, the reality of Okirei setting in on her; excitement radiated from her, instead of the fear that would be expected from most humans in her situation.

Amoyael and Antheron had moved ahead, electing to fly to their destination on Yael's feather after the incident with the demonesses. Theron was impatient, demanding to know how much longer they would be, while Amoyael was mediating in a corner, unfazed by his sister's agitation.

Shippo and Rin had fallen behind, but were making progress. The fox demon was cheerily observing the other demons, exchanging greetings with those he knew every so often. But he was anxious, worried for his mate and daughter, despite the protection Kagura had offered before escorting Ai back to Sheehan.

Rin was not afraid of the demons, though she remained tense and on edge, unused to being in the presence of so many. Shippo's good mood did nothing to lighten her own.

Sighing, Kishitaro turned his attention back to pushing through the mass of demons, making his way ever closer to the very center of the city. Once again, he grumbled, "I can't believe we didn't think of this."

* * *

Rin made sure to look at the face of every demon that passed by her. She didn't understand why she felt compelled to do so, but didn't waste time puzzling over it, attributing it to her uneasiness.

Kagura had picked their destination. She had said that it was a small but quiet tavern and that they should have no problem getting the owner to let them use it as their temporary headquarters while searching out Sesshomaru. As it was in the very center of Okirei, and her offspring had inherited their father's dislike of crowds, not one of the three had been there.

Lost in her thoughts, Rin had let her attention slide from her surroundings, and found herself nearly knocked off her feet as a young woman in purple rushed past, laden with bags of food from various vendors.

She glanced over her shoulder as she scurried on and called out a hasty apology before disappearing in the crowd. Rin's blood ran cold; she recognized her from somewhere, but she would have to have a better look at her face before being able to place her in her memory. Nonetheless a feeling of cold dread filled her, enhanced by the strange aura surrounding the woman; it felt like none she had ever encountered.

"Rin, you'll get left behind!" Shippo called, breaking the trance the woman's aura had left her in. Shaking her head, she turned and trotted after him, determined not to get lost among the demons.

* * *

Everyone met up just outside the tavern. It had been agreed beforehand that Kishitaro would be the one to speak to the owner, as he was the most likely to get a positive response. Amoyael tended to be a little too demanding, and Antheron's temper was likely to get out of hand. Shippo wasn't particularly familiar with the ways of Okirei, due to living in Sheehan with Ai, InuYasha wasn't very popular, and no one was likely to be very civil to the three humans among them.

Kagome let her gaze travel over the building, taking note of its simple appearance. It looked to be no more than a two story house with wood siding converted into a tavern, a swinging sign over the door reading, _Gymynii's_.

The group filed through the door, Amoyael taking the lead. There were only two customers inside, a moth demon sitting at a table in the corner, and a scraggly looking demon with unkempt black hair slouched at the counter.

"Welcome to Gymynii's." Kagome and Shippo jumped as the quiet voice floated to them from a dark doorway behind the counter. "What can I do for you?" A slender demoness in white glided through it, a small smile alight on her face.

InuYasha, Kagome and Shippo nearly fell over in shock. Kagome let go of Kishitaro's arm and took a hesitant step forward. "Kanna?" she asked.

She nodded and came to greet them. "Sister Kagura told me you were coming," she said softly. "You are more than welcome to work here. Kiyo and Itachi will be leaving in a minute or so, and you will have the place to yourselves."

* * *

Half an hour later, Kishitaro sat still in a comfortable chair in the quietest part of the tavern, his eyes closed in concentration as he reached out with his mind, searching for any trace of his father. Kagome knelt on the floor beside him, holding his hand in hers, silently lending him strength.

The only sounds came from across the room, where InuYasha was attempting to answer Ayumi's multitude of questions, assisted by Shippo when he didn't know the answer.

Kanna had vanished to the second floor, leaving them in peace.

Kagome started as Kishitaro's hand tightened around hers, and she realized that he had connected with someone's mind; quite possibly Sesshomaru's. After a minute or two, his eyes slid open, and he sighed heavily, attracting the attention of everyone present.

"Did you find him?" Antheron asked quietly. Amoyael put a hand on her shoulder, sharing her anxiousness.

Kishitaro looked at each of his companions in turn. "I don't know where he is, but I was able to talk with him," he replied slowly.

Rin stood up from the chair she had been sitting in. "That's good, isn't it?"

Kagome squeezed his hand. "What's bothering you?"

Reluctantly, he told them. "I connected with Father," he said slowly. "But he didn't know who I was."

**Yay! Another chappie finished! Please review! I miss reviews very much!**


	11. The Will To Escape: Part Three

**And here comes another chapter! Enjoy!**

**Otulia: See previous chapters if you want a Disclaimer. I'm tired of giving them.**

The Will to Escape: Part Three

He stiffened as he felt a presence enter his mind. It was the same person who had touched upon his mind before, and in result, left him free to open his eyes and turn his head.

A question rang through his mind in a voice that he felt was supposed to be familiar, but he could attribute to no memory. _I've found you! Are you alright?_

He blinked, looking around and straining his senses to be sure his captor wasn't still hiding in a dark corner. He found himself alone. "Who are you?" he asked in a whisper, his voice hoarse from not being used.

He felt a sense of surprise from the person contacting him, followed by a wave of sorrow and hurt. It made him feel unhappy, but there was nothing he could do. He did not know who was speaking to him.

After a moment, he received a reply. _I'm Kishitaro, your…_ There was a pause, and then the voice in his mind went on. _It doesn't matter who I am. I can't keep this connection long. Can you tell me where you are? _

"I do not know where I am, but it is damp, and smells of earth, with little light," he answered slowly.

_Can you tell me who's keeping you there? _The voice was urgent and strained, starting to fade as the presence in his mind slowly slipped away.

"She does not let me see her face," was his hurried answer. "She has me bound with a spell, so I cannot move."

_We'll find you,_ the voice assured him. A moment later, he felt the presence leave him. Restless, he tried once more to lift himself from the chair, and found he had some control over his arms. It was not much, but he could move his shoulders and fingers. Hope surged through him. Each time the stranger connected with his mind, he would be able to break through the spell a bit more. He would soon be free.

The door behind him opened, and he resisted the urge to use his freer movement to catch a glimpse of his captor's face.

"I've brought you some rice, Fluffykins!" came her cheerful voice. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I nearly tripped over someone on my way home from the market."

**And yes, another annoyingly short chapter. Deal with it, it has clues!**


	12. Mystery

**This chapter is dedicated to silentmoondemon, the first one to spot one of the many hidden clues, hints and connections I've woven throughout this plot. **

**Kaiba: I thought there weren't anymore disclaimers on this story.**

**Me: Well, you spooked my horse, so give the dang disclaimer as punishment!**

**Kaiba: Isn't getting kicked by your stupid horse enough punishment?**

**Me: No! Now do it!**

**Kaiba: Fine, whatever. Relative disclaimers apply…**

**Me: Yay!**

Mystery

"He's underground." All eyes turned to Ayumi, watching as she paced back and forth between tables. "From the description he gave, she's got to be keeping him underground. That would explain why no one has been able to pick up his scent, right?"

InuYasha and Antheron both nodded in agreement. "I'll go back to where I lost his scent a few months ago and look for anything that looks like it might lead underground," Theron said, starting for the door.

Amoyael followed her with his eyes. As she slipped out into the street, he called after her, "Be careful, dear sister. Try not to arouse any suspicion."

She paused for a moment to look over her shoulder at him, a rare grin present on her face. "Don't worry, brother. Everyone thinks I'm half-crazy as it is."

"I'd like to go with her," Shippo said quietly. "I might be able to help find whatever she's looking for."

InuYasha chuckled. "You always did have a talent for finding places to hide," he teased.

Shippo rolled his eyes at him before leaving to catch up with Antheron.

"Kishitaro, are you alright?" Kagome asked quietly, studying his face. "You haven't said a word since you told us what Sesshomaru said."

Amoyael's sensitive ears picked up her question, and he turned to watch his brother. Kishitaro was still sitting in the same chair, head lowered, eyes in shadow. He breathed deeply, exhaling with a sigh. "It's just…he didn't remember me, Kagome. And I…I searched his memory, to see if it had been altered in any way, but…" He trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.

Amoyael walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Tell me," he urged quietly.

Kishitaro lifted his head enough to make eye contact with him. "He doesn't remember anything, Yael," he answered, his voice strained. "Not me, not you or Theron, not even Mother or InuYasha. He doesn't even remember who _he_ is. His memory has been almost completely wiped clean."

Ayumi, who had been shamelessly eavesdropping, suddenly stopped her pacing midstep. "You said 'almost,'" she said pensively. "Is there anything he does remember? Even if it's just something small, it might help."

Kishitaro swiveled his head around and let his gaze fall on Rin, who had offered to help Kanna with some work that needed to be done in order to pass the time. "Her," he said softly. "He almost remembers Rin. Things remind him of her, but he can't recall her name or face. Just…how she made him feel."

Kagome's eyes softened. "He must have cared for her more than I realized," she whispered.

* * *

"Kessita! How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that! It's rude!" Ai stood with her hands on her hips as she scolded her daughter. Kessita had the grace to look sheepish while trying to stifle her giggles.

"Be glad she only has control over water," Kagura chuckled, pulling her dripping hair from her face. "Try chasing around twins, one able to fly, and the other able to smell when you're coming."

Ai smiled before turning another glare on Kessita. "Alright, young lady, stop that storm this instant, or I'll lock you up n Hiei's attic.

Kessita squealed in fright. "But Mama, there's bats in there!"

Ai raised an expectant brown and gestured toward the miniature rainstorm floating above Kagura's head. "Now, Kess," she said sternly.

Pouting, the little girl walked outside, the clouds trailing behind her.

With a sigh, Ai dug out a towel and handed it to Kagura. "I'm sorry about that. Kessita doesn't always seem to understand that not everyone likes getting wet as much as she does."

* * *

"I don't need your help, you know," Antheron said tersely, shoving her way shamelessly through the crowds.

Shippo chuckled and slipped skillfully through a small gap in the crowd, easily keeping up with her. "A little help won't hurt. Besides, I'm better at finding things than figuring out problems."

They continued on in silence, Shippo following Antheron as she left the markets and headed toward a less crowded part of the city. Several times she paused, looking around warily and sniffing the air, but always continued on without a word.

She finally stopped at a deserted crossway. "This is where I lost his scent," she said. "I thought it was because of the snow, but if he's been taken underground, then maybe there's a tunnel or something around here." She immediately began surveying the area, her keen golden eyes searching for anything that appeared out of place or suspicious.

Without a word, Shippo raised his nose to the air, taking in the scents. It was the same as the rest of the city; dry, smelling of garbage and the multitude of demons that passed by every day. He frowned and turned to Antheron, only to catch a scent that was out of place; damp and musty, like an old cave that had been left empty too long.

He followed the scent across the street where a stack of old wood had been left against the side of a building. That in itself was not unusual, but a slight draft of cold air was flowing from behind it.

He turned around and called to Antheron. "I think I've found something!"

She looked in his direction and opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly froze, eyes growing wide. Before he had a chance to see what she was staring at, Shippo felt a heavy blow against his back, and was sent sliding across the ground.

He struggled to his feet, wincing at the pain that was creeping up his spine. Readying himself for a fight, he faced his attacker and locked eyes with none other than Sesshomaru. The demon lord was standing by the stack of wood, staring at him with cold, empty eyes.

Antheron ran forward suddenly. "Father! What are you doing?"

Sesshomaru whirled on her and swiped at her face with his claws, knocking her aside. She sat up, three lines of crimson blood forming on her cheek, eyes wet with unshed tears. "Father, why are you doing this?" she demanded weakly.

Shippo, hurried forward, blue fox fire in hand. "Don't be fooled, Antheron! It's a puppet!" He hurled the ball of blue flames at Sesshomaru, but the demon swept it aside. Frowning, Shippo reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful pebbles. Leaping past Antheron, who still sat on the ground, stunned, he tossed them in the air over Sesshomaru's head, then readied another ball of his fox fire. Hurling the flames at him distracted him long enough for the pebbles to grow in size above him. Within an instant, several boulders fell out of the air onto him, burying him beneath.

When the ground stopped shaking and the dust had settled, all that remained was a broken wooden figure and a handful of pebbles.

**And, cut! Please review, people! I'm running out of steam here and need to hear from you all to keep going!**


	13. Laying Plans

**Now that the site is letting me update again, I'm on a roll! Let's get cracking with the updates!**

**Otulia: Go look at a previous chapter for a disclaimer; I'm too busy trying to find Marik…**

Laying Plans

The moment Shippo and Antheron walked through the door of the tavern, Amoyael knew something had happened. His back had been to the door, so he hadn't seen the looks on their faces, the worry and confusion in the way they carried themselves. He couldn't explain it; he just _knew._

Without a word or a glance at his sister, he retreated to one of the back rooms Kanna had given them to use. Antheron followed silently, closing the door tightly behind them.

"Ther?" Amoyael inquired softly. "What happened?" Her hand instinctively went to the already healing scratches on her cheek. His eyes hardened in anger. "Who did this to you?"

She looked away. "It was a puppet," she whispered. "Just a puppet."

He regarded her carefully. "But?" he prompted, instinctively knowing there was more to it than that.

"It looked like Father," she answered in a voice so small, she would have been ashamed had anyone but her brother heard her. "I…I couldn't do anything, Yael. I thought it was him at first, and then…then he attacked me, and I just couldn't do anything."

He enveloped her in a comforting hug. "I'll kill whoever's responsible for this whole mess," he promised her. "How dare they use our Father's image against us!"

Antheron clung to him, unable to keep herself from crying. "I'm so scared, Yael," she sobbed. "I can't fight Father."

"You won't have to," he assured her. "I'll protect you."

* * *

"Shippo, what happened?" Kagome asked, dreading his answer. 

"Another demon puppet," he spat angrily. "It attacked us when I found something strange. I think it may be the underground passageway we were looking for."

"That's good, isn't it?" Ayumi asked.

"It is," Kishitaro agreed. "But I wish Antheron hadn't encountered one of the puppets. Father's disappearance has been hard enough on her as it is."

Shippo nodded. "She didn't do too well with this one. If I hadn't been there, she might have been seriously hurt."

"Keh," InuYasha interrupted, arms crossed. "Amoyael will be with her when we go, so there's nothing to worry about. So stop worrying about it already."

"We need to make a plan," Rin said quietly.

Ayumi nodded agreement. "But if we want to be prepared, we need to know what we're facing. Someone will have to go back with Shippo and investigate some more."

Kishitaro stood. "I'll go," he volunteered. "If anyone's waiting for us, I'll sense them. The rest of you should go back to the manor with Yael and Theron when they come out. We'll meet you back there."

* * *

"_Ai, what is it?"_

Screams…screams of terror, screams of fear, ringing on the air.

"_Ai, snap out of it!"_

Tongues of flame leaping to the sky, sparks dancing on the wind.

"_Mama! Mama, wake up!"_

Wings beating in the night. Laughter ringing out from the skies.

"_Mama!"_

Humans fleeing their homes, panic in the streets. Demons flying overhead, swiping at the children, attacking the frail.

"_Ai, please! You're scaring us!"_

Ai opened her eyes suddenly, gasping for breath. "No," she whispered. "No. We've got to do something!" She looked at the frightened faces around her, those of Kagura and Kessita.

Kagura handed her a cup of tea, which she accepted with shaking hands. "Are you alright, Mama?" Kessita asked, clinging to her sleeve.

She nodded slowly, head spinning. "I've never had a vision that strong before. Or that awful."

"What happened?" Kagura asked urgently.

Ai took a deep breath, steadying herself. "The bat demons," she said solemnly. "They're going to attack the humans. I'm not sure why, but we've got to prevent it."

Kessita looked up at her mother with wide blue eyes. "Mama, do you mean Hiei's family? But they're always so nice."

Ai stroked her daughter's hair absentmindedly. "Something is going to provoke them. I'm worried it might be-"

"Another puppet," Kagura interrupted. "The bat demon clan may be peaceful, but they've always fostered a hatred of humans. If another puppet were to be seen attacking humans, they'd likely join in."

"So we're on the lookout for puppets in the image of Sesshomaru," Ai concluded. "Should we alert Amoyael and Antheron?"

Kagura shook her head. "They've got enough to worry about as it is. I'll send a message to Kishitaro, but I think we need to take care of this ourselves."

* * *

"This is the place?" Kishitaro asked, looking around warily. 

Shippo nodded. "There's air coming from behind this stack of wood that smells like a cave."

Kishitaro walked over to the stack and began shoving it to the side. "Keep an eye out for me, will you?" he asked.

Shippo nodded. "Sure thing. But if anything jumps out of that hole at you, you're on your own."

The wood was lighter and easier to move than it appeared, and Kishitaro was able to move it quickly, revealing a small hole at the base of the building, just large enough for Kishitaro to squeeze through without any trouble. He looked around, his eyes adjusting to the sudden dark, when Shippo dropped down beside him suddenly, startling him.

"Don't do that," he snapped, breathing deeply to calm his nerves.

Shippo eyed him suspiciously. "I thought you could always tell when someone was coming because you could feel their minds or something."

Kishitaro turned his eyes ahead of them. A dark tunnel with a staircase carved into it wound its way down. "I don't like this place," he said quietly. "There's a barrier of some sort binding my telepathy."

With a heavy sigh, Shippo started down the tunnel. "I don't smell anyone coming, so we'd better check this place out while we can."

* * *

A bird sped through the air, white feathers glinting in the sunlight. Unlike the other birds in the area, this one was not flitting about in random directions, searching for food. It flew straight as an arrow, intent on reaching its destination. It shimmered out of existence as it passed through a barrier over an open field. 

**Okay, short as always, yes. Now, please review! Reviews keep me going! **


	14. Anticipaton

**Oh, the power's out. No better time to write, I suppose.**

Anticipation

"This is unbelievable," Kishitaro said in awe, staring at the sight before them.

"There's no way something like this could be below the city," Shippo stated. "How would anyone be able to build it unnoticed?"

The tunnel they had been following had gotten wider, and on the left the wall had opened up in a sort of window to reveal a cavernous room. The darkness was almost impenetrable, preventing them from seeing very far, but what they could make out was astounding. From the bottom of the staircase, several small walls of stone lifted out of the widening floor, growing taller until they reached the ceiling of the cave. It was clearly the beginnings of a labyrinth.

"This poses a new problem," Kishitaro sighed. "Not only do we have to get through here unnoticed, we've got a maze to get through."

"We'd better get back to the others. If we go in there now, we'll get lost for sure," Shippo advised.

Slowly, they turned and began the long climb back to the surface.

* * *

"Kagome, give it a rest already, will ya'?" InuYasha snapped irritably.

Kagome looked at him innocently, meeting his eyes across the room. "What?"

Ayumi stifled a giggle as InuYasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms while Kagome continued to fidget and glance out the window.

Amoyael and Antheron had disappeared as soon as they had returned to the manor, leaving everyone else to occupy themselves. Kagome and InuYasha had, without fail, started to get on each other's nerves, while Ayumi giggled helplessly at them. Rin sat by herself in a corner, observing silently.

"Damnit Kagome! Stop fidgeting!"

"I'm not fidgeting!"

"Yes you are!"

"You're just being irritable!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am no—what are you laughing at?"

Both of them stared at Ayumi, who had suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. "You two…are so…funny!" she exclaimed in between laughs.

Rin smiled and said quietly, "It's a wonder you guys get along, with how often you bother each other."

Kagome and InuYasha looked at each other, and then at her. Kagome shrugged. "Eh, stranger things happen every day."

* * *

Shippo blinked in the daylight as Kishitaro emerged behind him. "I'll put the wood back," he offered. Kishitaro nodded and shaded his eyes, disoriented.

"Hey, are you okay?" Shippo asked, noting his dazed expression.

"Yeah," he replied slowly. "It's just…weird, suddenly going from feeling no one's minds to having millions of thoughts trying to worm their way into my head."

"Go ahead and take a minute to get your barriers back up," the older demon said, turning to shove the pile of wood back over the entryway of the tunnel.

As he was doing so, Kishitaro suddenly looked at the sky. A small white bird spiraled downward toward him. He held out his hand, and it landed fearlessly in his palm. A moment later, a glow surrounded it, dissipating to reveal a white feather. His mother's voice spoke in his mind, and his fingers curled around the feather in agitation.

"This day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" he muttered.

* * *

"Which district does the bat clan live in?" Ai asked, digging out a map of Okirei and unrolling it across a low table.

Kagura closed her eyes in thought before answering confidently, "The northeast district."

Ai located the district on the map and paled. "It's closest to the nearest human settlement. They could fly out at night and see the town."

Kagura sighed heavily. "We'll need to keep an eye on that town, then. If a puppet attacks, someone needs to be there to destroy it."

"And someone will need to be there to confirm it's a puppet. Whoever is strong enough to make them could almost certainly bewitch Sesshomaru," Ai said pensively.

Kagura nodded solemnly. "That would have to be me, I suppose," she sighed. "I'll need to take others with me, though. I can't be alert constantly."

"My brothers would be glad to go with you. They've been itching to go somewhere," Ai said with a smile.

Kagura groaned. "Please don't tell me you mean Dai and Roku."

"That's exactly who I mean."

* * *

Shippo fidgeted as all eyes locked in on him and Kishitaro when they delivered the news of their discoveries. He glanced at Kishitaro, envious of his ability to not be affected by being the focus of attention.

Antheron was the first to break the stunned silence. "There's a labyrinth beneath the city," she stated tonelessly.

Kishitaro nodded. "And we have no idea how big it is."

Amoyael closed his eyes in thought, tapping his fingers together. "And the entire underground structure is under at least one spell, most likely for the purpose of keeping it hidden."

Again Kishitaro nodded. "There are likely to be more spells and barriers like the one binding my telepathy down there."

Kagome sighed. "Great. Now we've got an underground maze to figure out." She slouched forward in her chair, frowning.

"Labyrinths aren't that difficult to get through," Ayumi said quietly. Immediately, everyone focused on her. "All you have to do is mark the walls, so if you retrace your steps or end up going in circles, you'll know where you've already been."

"That sounds like a good idea," InuYasha stated blandly. "But what if the walls move around on us?"

Ayumi paled. "Walls can…move?"

"InuYasha, stop teasing," Kagome sighed.

"From the sound of it, the labyrinth was carved from the earth. The walls aren't going anywhere," Rin assured.

"That plan is probably the best," Amoyael said suddenly, startling everyone. "It would be more efficient to split into groups, but without Kishi's telepathy, it would be difficult to keep track of everyone."

Antheron pulled one of her fans from her sash and began flicking it open and closed absentmindedly. "It seems a stupid thing to do," she added irritably, "sending three humans with only two demons and a half-demon for protection into a place we know nothing about."

Rin looked at the twins solemnly. "You're not going," she stated softly.

Kagome's head shot up. "How come?"

"Because we have no idea how long you will be down there for," Amoyael answered.

Antheron picked up where he had left off by adding, "Several clans are growing restless, and we need to keep a constant watch on them."

"And it would be unwise to disappear without notice; many are starting to believe that Father won't return," Amoyael continued.

"So if we up and vanished, they'd think we were gone for good, too, and who knows what kind of mess we'd end up with?" Antheron concluded, snapping her fan shut decisively.

Kishitaro looked at everyone in turn. "So we've got a basic plan; be ready for anything, and try to work our way through the labyrinth. Now the question is, how long do we have to prepare?"

**Suspense, suspense! It's a killer, ain't it! Review, por favor, so I'll have the motivation to finish this soon!**


	15. The Will To Escape: Part Four

**Is it just me, or are my chapters getting shorter?**

**Otulia: Yeah, relative disclaimers and all that jazz…**

The Will To Escape: Part Four

He needed to get a look at her face. His escape would come soon; he had all but overcome the binding spell that his captor didn't seem to know how to remove. She had promised and promised that it would wear off, yet it never did, and that fact distressed her. She needn't know that he would soon be free of it; let her occupy her time trying to find a way to break it. It would keep her from realizing there were people looking for him, determined to find him.

But something told him he needed to see her face. She never showed it to him, wearing a hood whenever she brought him food or wandered into his line of sight. He believed she was afraid that he would remember her if he saw her face. She seemed to be clinging to some hope; her hold was remaining stronger than he would have liked.

He needed a plan to get her to remove her hood. He had not spoken a word to her since he had awoken to find himself with no memory, unable to move; he feared to do so, though he could not recall why.

A voice suddenly rang out in his mind, startling him; it was the same one that had spoken to him some time before; how long it had been, he did not know. There was no sense of time in his prison.

_We're coming for you._

He was grateful he had been left alone, though he could sense his captor's presence slowly approaching.

_The person keeping you captive; do you know where she is?_

"She is coming back to me," he whispered in reply.

_Do all you can to keep her there. I won't be able to mind speak with you once we're on our way; there's some sort of barrier preventing me. But we need to know that she won't find us._

"I can try," was his answer. "And I will try to convince her to show her face to me."

_Just be careful, please. We don't know what kind of power she has. I can't keep the connection any longer; hopefully, the next time you hear my voice, it will be in person._

As the presence in his mind faded, the door behind him opened. "I'm back, Fluffykins! And guess what! I think I finally found out how to undo that nasty spell! I'm sorry it took so long, really, but it wasn't my spell to begin with."

He steadied himself internally, resolve hardened. He would keep her as long as he could. Even if it meant resorting to force.

**Review, por favor!**


	16. Action

**Wow…I forgot what I was going to write…**

**Otulia: Let's wing it! **

**Eh, sounds like a plan.**

Action

Kishitaro opened his eyes and stood, looking at each of his companions in turn. Kagome stood next to him, dark hair tied in a ponytail, bow in hand, a quiver of arrows slung across her shoulder; she looked the proper priestess. Across from him stood InuYasha, with Ayumi by his side, both with looks of confident determination on their faces. Shippo was leaning against the pile of wood hiding the entrance to the tunnel, humming a cheerful tune. Rin stood near him, apprehension clear on her features.

"She's with him, and he's going to keep her there as long as he can to buy us time."

Ayumi nodded. "Then we should get moving. Do you want to try my idea before we go, to see if it works?"

Kishitaro frowned. "It'll be hard," he replied. "But I think it's worth it. If I can maintain a connection with you and Shippo, then we can split into groups and cover more ground. I just hope I can hold more than one link once we're inside."

Kagome lightly touched his arm. "You can do it," she assured him. _And I'll be here to help._

He smiled as her thoughts once again forced their way into his mind. _I shouldn't have a problem connecting with you, _he thought back to her with a chuckle. Her eyes instantly went wide.

_It happened again?_

_You bet._

* * *

Kagura groaned and tried to ignore them. She tried to keep her senses alert and focused on everything but them. Unfortunately, it was proving to be more than a little difficult to ignore them when they were sitting on either side of her, loudly singing the most nonsensical song she'd ever heard, over and over again. 

"_Agadoo-doo-doo, push pineapple, shake the tree! Agadoo-doo-doo, push pineapple, grind coffee!"_

She really tried. But the song was just so catchy, and it echoed in her mind.

"_To the left, to the right, jump up and down and to the knees! Come and dance every night, sing with the hula melody!"_

Kagura was never known for her patience.

"Will you two stop with that infernal song already?" she snapped irritably.

Immediately, they both stopped singing, much to Kagura's relief. "Thank you," she sighed wearily.

Then they both stood up, reaching for their katanas. "Do you sense that?" Dai asked.

Roku nodded. "Something just went by overhead. It's heading straight for the humans."

Kagura's eyes widened. "A puppet," she breathed, spotting the blur of white that was receding into the distance.

* * *

Kagome winced as Kishitaro's grip on her hand tightened. Slowly, deliberately, she led him down the staircase in the tunnel, doing her best to keep her mind on only her steps, so that he could follow them easily and without much concentration. He had his eyes squeezed shut, concentrating on keeping the mental links with Shippo and Ayumi open as they passed through the barrier. 

Ahead of them, Shippo was lighting the way with his fox fire, the blue light making eerie shadows dance around them. Rin walked ahead of him, just inside the bubble of light they were traveling in. She kept glancing anxiously over her shoulder at the rest of them, eager to get to where they were going, yet simultaneously afraid of what they would find.

Kagome could hear InuYasha and Ayumi padding along behind them. Ayumi was close to having a panic attack, surprising them all when she turned out to be claustrophobic. InuYasha was doing all he could to keep her calm without losing his temper.

Once again, Kishitaro's grip on her hand tightened, and Kagome instantly knew something was wrong. "Hold on a minute, guys," she called out quietly. They all stopped walking, waiting for an explanation. She kept her eyes Kishitaro's face, beaded with sweat, as she said, "He's having trouble."

After a few moments, his grip on her hand relaxed, and she started them moving again. As they progressed, Kishitaro gradually started to relax, until he was able to open his eyes and look around at everyone. "We've gotten through the barrier," he said quietly, his voice strained. "But when we get to the bottom of this staircase, I need to rest."

Kagome regarded him carefully before asking, "Do you think you might be able to close the connections and then reopen them now that we're through."

He shook his head slowly. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I wouldn't even chance it until we're at the bottom and further from that damn barrier."

* * *

"We have to stop it, and now!" Kagura exclaimed angrily, her feathers speeding toward the town. 

"Leave it to us to get it away from the people," Dai called to her from the other feather.

"We'll need your help to destroy it, so be ready," Roku added.

Kagura nodded and spiraled the feathers downward for a landing. _Damn! Why the hell did it have to come in broad daylight?!_

* * *

Kishitaro sat down on the cold stone floor, panting heavily. "I can't do it," he told them weakly. "I can't keep these connections going down here. I'm not used to this kind of thing." 

"Keh, don't worry about it," InuYasha said. "So we'll have to stick together instead of splitting up, big deal. It's not like it's gonna stop us."

Kagome knelt by him and wiped the sweat from his brow. "InuYasha's right. Go ahead and let go of the connections. We're going to need you if we run into trouble, so don't waste your energy on something that won't work." _I don't like to see you get like this._

He looked at her peculiarly as he let the barrier have its way and close him off from the minds around him. _How do you manage to do that?_

Her eyes widened suddenly and she looked around with an expression of shock on her face. "Kishitaro," she whispered, voice quavering. "Why can I hear Shippo and Ayumi's thoughts?"

**I think I'll end it here. Sorry for the wait ya'll, but I had sudden inspiration for another InuYasha fic that I won't be posting until it's finished, so I've been writing for that one. **

**That song…that would be 'Agadoo' by Black Lace, I think…anyway, I don't own it. **


	17. Falling Apart

**Wow. The process of writing this fic is reminding me a lot of the process of writing my novel…a character just popped in without permission…**

**Otulia: By the way…add that character to the list of characters WE created. Not the list of characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.**

Falling Apart

Everyone looked at Kagome in shock. "That's not possible," InuYasha breathed, a look of confusion on his face.

Kagome, still wide-eyed with wonder, said softly, "Ayumi thinks that this whole adventure just got a whole lot weirder, and Shippo thinks it might have something to do with a combination of the barrier, my miko powers, and…" She flushed in embarrassment. "And, my, uh, closeness to Kishitaro."

InuYasha looked about to protest when Shippo chuckled. "InuYasha no baka, that's exactly what I was thinking. I'm sure Ayumi would agree too."

Ayumi nodded. "Kagome, you really _can_ read my mind, can't you?" she asked, amazed.

"I think Shippo is right," Kishitaro said thoughtfully. "Your powers could be neutralizing the barrier's effect on you, and my telepathy is already sensitive to you. With the amount of energy I put into the mind-links, they closed more easily than I had expected, even with the barrier's effects. Maybe they just moved on to cling to another mind, one more capable of dealing with the barrier."

Kagome groaned. "This is just too weird. Things couldn't get any more confusing."

"Perhapsssss," a silken voice echoed around them. "But methinkssss you are ssssorely misssstaken."

Everyone jumped, looking around frantically. InuYasha drew Tetsusaiga and cursed loudly when the blade refused to transform. "There must be another damn barrier or something!"

Malicious laughter echoed around them. "There are more sssspellssss and trapssss in thissss place than you could count!" the voice informed them laughingly. "There issss no essscape!"

"It's coming from the tunnel," Rin said fearfully. "And its aura is one of pure evil."

Out of the shadows came a dark, chuckling laugh that struck fear into their hearts. Heart pounding in her chest, Ayumi shrieked when a pair of large, yellow eyes appeared in the tunnel, reflecting the dim light from Shippo's fox fire.

* * *

"Curse it all!" Kagura fumed, glaring daggers at the demon puppet that had stolen the image of her mate. They were facing off in the middle of a human street. The sun was quickly sinking below the horizon, and soon the bat demons would be emerging from their homes.

"We're all doomed," Dai whined. "There's no way we can get rid of this thing in time."

"And then we'll be up to our ears in bloodthirsty flying rodents," Roku continued with a heavy sigh.

"Will you two shut up and concentrate already?" Kagura hissed. "We've got enough damage to deal with as it is, and I'd really prefer it if we didn't add to the list."

The puppet lashed out at them, light whip singing through the air. Kagura jumped to the side, pulling Roku with her, ignoring his protest that they were all going to die anyway.

"Damn you! What happened to that cheerfulness that was making me want to strangle you earlier?" she demanded, dropping him onto his feet and pulling her fans from her obi and flicking them open.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we're renowned pessimists!" Dai shouted as he charged at the puppet, slashing his katana downward at its head, only to have it speed out of the way.

The sound of wings beating the air forced their gazes upwards. Hundreds of bat demons were flying toward them at a terrifying speed, hungry gazes intent on the human settlement. Kagura glanced around at the frightened faces peering out the windows at them and cursed again. They were too late.

* * *

"You guys get going!" Shippo ordered, jumping out of the way as the large snake demon attacked him, fangs at the ready, dripping with venom.

"But what if you get hurt?" Kagome argued, firing a glowing arrow at their opponent. It bounced off its scales uselessly.

"My armor protectssss me from your purifying powerssss," the snake hissed mockingly. "Your resssissstance issss futile!"

Kishitaro took Kagome's hand and pulled her away. He grabbed Ayumi's wrist as they passed her and darted toward the labyrinth, Rin close on their heels. "There's nothing we can do here, and it's imperative that we rescue Father," he said, a note of regret in his voice. Kagome frowned, knowing instinctively that he was wishing he could do something to help.

"What about InuYasha?" Ayumi asked, gasping for breath. "He's not coming!"

Said hanyou, upon catching her words, threw a grim smile over his shoulder at them. "I'm gonna stay here and help out Shippo!" he called. "Don't worry about me, I'm stronger than I look!"

Kagome resisted the urge to cry as Ayumi's fear for InuYasha reached her through the mind-link, and she realized just how petrifying the whole ordeal was for her friend. "Ayumi," she managed to say, miraculously keeping her voice confident, "trust me when I say that InuYasha will be fine. He's saved my life more times than I can count, taken beating no one should have been able to survive from much stronger demons than that snake, and he's always bounced back. He's too stubborn to die." The grateful smile she got from Ayumi was enough to assure her she'd said the right thing. But she wished there was some way she could convince herself that her friends would be okay, as Shippo's desperation invaded her mind, and she realized too late that the snake demon was stronger, so much stronger than it appeared.

And it took all her strength not to cry out and turn back when the link between her mind and Shippo's was severed with an intensity so sudden and painful that it left her stumbling and gasping for breath, tears that she refused to let fall stinging at her eyes.

**Could I maybe get more than two reviews for this chapter? If not, I'll keep killing ya'll with suspense.**


	18. The Will To Escape: Part Five

**Anyone wondering if Shippo's alright? Too bad, you won't find out yet. **

**Otulia: Deal with it.**

The Will to Escape: Part Five

He stiffened; she had the spell to unbind him. It would not do to let her know he had already broken free from it, not if he was to keep her there with him until help arrived.

"Isn't it wonderful, Fluffykins?" She walked around to where he could see her, a hood the same deep purple as her robes pulled over her head, hiding her face in shadow. "I finally convinced that ass of a snake to tell me how to unbind you!"

He remained silent, as he had been whenever she was in the dim chamber with him. Though he didn't show it, worry coursed through his veins; this was the first mention she had made of someone else. If she had an accomplice, those attempting to find him would need to know.

She reached into her sleeve and pulled something out, her fingers wrapped tightly around it. "He gave me this, and said that if I took it out near you, it would undo the spell. And then he called me an annoying wench! Can you believe it? I am NOT annoying! I just wanted him to do what he'd promised, and he went and took his sweet time about it!"

When she had finished her little rant, she uncurled her fingers to reveal a small glowing sphere that, though its light did little to penetrate the gloom, was too bright to look at. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the light emitting from the orb grew until he was forced to close his eyes. A strange sensation swept over him, one that was not painful, but felt oddly restrictive. When the light faded, he was left feeling weak and fatigued.

"Can you move now?"

Keeping his eyes closed, he tested his each of his muscles in turn, finding that his movement was unrestricted. Knowing that she would want an answer, and giving her one was the best way of keeping her, he rasped, "Yes." And as an afterthought, he added with an inward shudder, "Thank you."

"Oh, you sound awful!" she exclaimed. "Are you feeling alright?"

He forced his eyes to open, blinking away the spots that danced in his vision. She knelt in front of him, fidgeting nervously.

Deciding to take a chance, he said hoarsely, "Let me see your face."

She reached up to her hood, then hesitated. "He said I really shouldn't show you my face," she said thoughtfully. "But I don't really see the harm in it. You know, I don't think I should believe any of what he says anyway." Her decision made, she pulled back the hood and let it fall behind her. Grinning, she pushed her short dark hair behind one ear, looking at him with eyes of a brown so dark, they were almost black.

Recognition hit him halfway. He knew with an utmost certainty that he'd seen her before. But he could not recall where, or when. Just as every other memory, those of the girl in front of him were locked away, unreachable.

She seemed almost harmless, though. No ill intent showed in her features, only the utmost respect and adoration. He groaned inwardly; she had probably been conned into helping in someone else's scheme.

She stood up suddenly, startling him from his thoughts. "Are you hungry? I can go and get something if you—"

"No," he interrupted. He tried to get to his feet but found he was unable to, his head spinning.

"Maybe I should stay until you're feeling better," she reconsidered. "Whatever that snake gave me to undo the spell seems to have had a bad effect on you."

He sighed inwardly. It seemed he didn't have to do much to get her to stay. Which was good, considering at the moment, force wasn't an option.

**And cut! Gah! Ya'll must STILL deal with suspense because I only got two reviews last chapter! Deal with it!**


	19. Nearing The End

**Egad, this is getting good!**

**Otulia: Hurry up and get on with it! **

Nearing the End

"You two just keep the puppet from hurting anyone!" Kagura ordered, leaping onto her feather, fan in hand. "I'll do my best to hold of the bats!"

"Good luck with that," Dai said wryly, knocking the puppet's light whip to the side with his katana.

"We should've brought Hiei along. The kid may be way too optimistic, but at least the bats listen to him," Roku complained, barely avoiding a slash of the puppet's claws.

Kagura rolled her eyes and rose in the air to meet the bat demons. A flash of white, and she was tumbling to the ground, her feather shredded by the puppet, which had managed to get away from the half-demon twins.

She reached for her second feather in a panic, only to find it was not secured in her hair. The ground rushed toward her, but with all her power over the wind, she could not halt her descent. Closing her eyes, she prepared herself for the impact, ready to roll with the force of her fall as she had had to do many times in the past.

But instead of the ground, she was met with a swirl of air and a pair of strong arms. "Are you alright?"

Gasping in surprise, she opened her eyes. "Amoyael," she breathed, feeling her heart slow. "How did you know to come?"

He smirked and settled her on her feet beside him on his black feather. "Kishi sent us word to be on the lookout before he went after Father."

Forgetting the conflict surrounding her, she asked breathlessly, "You've found him?"

"Kishi did. He's being kept underground. After we clean up this mess, Theron and I will fill you in."

Shaking her head, she focused her attention on the bat demons swarming toward them. "I'll need to borrow your second feather. You and I can handle the bats, and Antheron can help Dai and Roku with—"

"No," he interrupted quietly. "My sister will not fight one of those puppets. She is capable of bringing the bat clan to order. I will handle the puppet."

He plucked the second feather from the cord around his neck and placed it into his mother's hand. "Go. There is not much time."

* * *

"I can't believe someone actually marked the path," Ayumi mused, running her hand over the glowing arrow on the wall as she turned a corner, following closely behind Rin.

Trotting behind her, Kishitaro glanced over his shoulder. "Anyone following us will know right where we are." Shaking his head wearily, he turned his attention to Kagome. She had been beside him the entire time, eerily silent. "How are they faring against the snake?" he asked softly, keeping his voice low so Ayumi would not hear him.

Kagome glanced up from her feet, eyes bright with unshed tears. "I don't know," she whispered.

Only a small, sharp intake of breath and a widening of his eyes betrayed his outward calm. "When?"

Wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, she answered, "Almost as soon as we left them."

Without another word, Kishitaro put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and giving her support in the only way he could. Even with the barrier affecting his telepathy, he could feel that Kagome desperately wanted to either go back and fight or sit down and cry, and was immensely frustrated that she could do neither.

"I think we're at the end," Ayumi called back to them. "I can see some sort of light ahead of us."

"It looks like torchlight," Rin confirmed. She paused and looked back into the shadows of the labyrinth. With a heart filled with dread, she decided against warning her companions of the immense demonic aura slowly making its way closer to them.

* * *

"Step aside," Amoyael commanded, dropping elegantly to the ground between Dai and Roku.

Panting, they willingly backed away and collapsed against each other in an undignified heap. "Have at him," Roku called. "We'll just watch."

"Gladly," Amoyael replied coldly, eyes narrowed dangerously at the puppet in front of him.

For what seemed like eternity, neither moved. Then the puppet vanished in a blur of white, reappearing a split second later directly behind Amoyael, claws raised and dripping with poison. Lightning reflexes saved the wind sorcerer as he dropped to the ground. In a single fluid movement, as the puppet was leaning over him with the momentum of its attack, Amoyael unsheathed twin short swords and thrust them upward.

A flutter of ashes and a cracked wooden figure fell to the ground.

Dai looked at his brother. "Why are we always being rescued?"

* * *

Kagura stood on Amoyael's feather, using both fans to create a wall of wind. The bat demons flying at the front of the group hit it head on and were nearly thrown from the sky. Regrouping, they hovered behind it, momentarily distracted from their prey as more of their extended family joined them.

"What is the meaning of this?" one of them, clearly the leader, demanded.

Antheron, who had been crouching on the feather behind her mother, stood and moved forward. "You will return to Okirei and leave the humans in peace," she told them, her tone both calm and fierce.

In response to her order, they tried to force through the wall of wind. Kagura strengthened it, grunting at the strain. A few tried to fly around, only to be met with Antheron's merciless light whips. With difficulty, Kagura began to box them in.

"You will return to your homes. Anyone who even gets close to the human population will be killed. Now leave!" Antheron's icy glare sent the more nervous of the bat demons back the way they had come. It wasn't many, but it did the trick. Slowly, they withered under her gaze, and returned to Okirei. Many of them knew from experience that the fiery-tempered daughter of Sesshomaru was not to be disobeyed.

As the last of them retreated, Kagura let the wind she had been conjuring dissipate and lowered the feather to the ground. She and Antheron leapt off of it and turned their eyes to the town, spotting Amoyael coming toward them, followed by Dai and Roku.

Kagura put her hand to her head, dizziness enveloping her. Her vision went fuzzy, then began to fade to black. As she crumpled to the ground, she heard her son's voice, frantic and filled with fear, so unlike his usual calm, ringing out on the evening air, calling out but a single word: "Mother!"

**Short, check. Cliffhanger, check. Now, please review! –gives reader the patented puppy-dog eyes- **


	20. Reunion

**I'm bored…**

**Otulia: Stop whining and write!**

**Me: But I dun wanna….**

**Otulia: Write, missy!**

**Me: Yes, ma'am!**

Reunion

Kagome's steps slowed.

_Dammit! Come on, stay with me! Don't close your eyes, you idiot! Stay with me!_

A sense of foreboding filled her very being.

_Mother! Mother, please wake up!_

A thousand fragments of thoughts bombarded her, voiceless and jumbled.

_Intruderssss…kill very one of them…_

And then it was gone. Silence.

Kishitaro came to an abrupt halt. "The barrier's dissolved."

Kagome looked at him, fear written in her eyes. "Something's wrong…we need to hurry."

He nodded, wincing. "I'm too weak to deal with all these pushy thoughts. I'll have to block them all out for a while longer."

Rin called back to them, "There's a door up here! And I can hear someone talking on the other side!"

* * *

Antheron toweled her hair dry, trying to find any way to delay seeing her brother. Ever since they had returned to the manor and put their mother in her bed, he had not left her side, waiting for her to awaken. Almost immediately, Antheron had stalked off, saying she stunk of bat and needed to bathe. But she knew he knew the real reason for it; she had needed time alone to think.

And think she had. Their mother had collapsed, probably due to exhaustion. She had pushed herself far too hard when holding back the bat demons. And Amoyael was taking the whole situation just as badly as she had when she and Shippo had been attacked by a demon puppet. And now it was her turn to 'comfort' him.

She grimaced as she pulled on her house robe. Comforting was not her thing. But she'd have to try. She had to do something, or her brother would sit there and sulk all day, when there was a horde of angry demons demanding an explanation. He was the smart one; only he would know how to smooth things over.

With a defeated sigh, she left her room and padded silently down the hall to her parents' room.

Amoyael looked up at her as she stepped inside. With her damp hair hanging around her shoulders and a white silken robe draped loosely about her, she looked much less threatening than she usually did.

"She's still sleeping," he said quietly.

Rolling her eyes at his well-disguised worry, she moved to his side.

"Listen, Yael," she said firmly, "I know you think it's your fault she pushed herself too hard, because you promised me I wouldn't have to fight the puppet, and weren't able to help her hold back the bats. But quite frankly, the same thing would've happened even if you _were _helping her."

He smiled sadly. "Mother is forever trying to prove her worth."

Irritated with his melancholy attitude, she grabbed the front of his haori and hauled him to his feet. "Exactly!" she exclaimed. "You did the right thing, Yael! You destroyed the puppet, and no one else there could have done that! If you had insisted on holding back the bats, Mother would have insisted on holding off the puppet! What would have happened then? Would she have been able to ignore the fact that it looks like Father and destroy it? I don't think so, Yael! She would have gotten hurt, and sleep wouldn't fix that! So stop sulking and help me figure out how to deal with the disgruntled bats before they start a riot! You're not doing any good in here! Mother will be fine!"

In a huff, she let go of him and stormed from the room. Staring after her, Amoyael couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Ther," he whispered. "I needed to hear that."

* * *

Under normal circumstances, though he could not remember what he considered normal, he was sure he would have long since tuned out the chattering young woman. But he had learned much from her ramblings.

She had been approached by a snake demon she had never me before, who had gotten her involved with some plan of his, and had been nothing but a nuisance to her since, refusing to undo the binding spell he'd given her to use and insisting they stay in his dim underground lair. "I want to see the snow with you," she had sighed. "It's mostly cleared out of the city, but out in the open, it's real pretty."

The door creaked open behind him. The girl immediately fell silent. He pushed himself to his feet and turned to face whoever was entering the chamber.

There was more than one person in the passage behind the door, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the girl who entered first. Her dark eyes met his own, and the memories that had been floating just out of reach came rushing back to him, vivid in his mind's eye.

A small child, beaten and bruised, yet smiling and unafraid. Arms full of fragrant wildflowers. Laughter tumbling about on the breeze. A confident voice, boldly and unyieldingly declaring that he would come for her. The melancholy that sometimes visited in the night, after nightmares of bandits and wolves. Complete trust in him, despite his hatred for her kind. A feeling that he hadn't known in a long time; a feeling of completeness, of love. And a name; the name he had given to her before she had found her voice.

"Rin," he whispered, stunned. It couldn't be; she could not be standing there before him. She had…died. He had buried her himself, the only time he had let down his barriers and shed tears.

A smile worked its way unto her face, her eyes lighting up with happiness. Unable to contain herself anymore, she darted forward with a joyful cry of, "Papa!"

LINE

"Shit! You're always getting into trouble, you good for nothing runt!" InuYasha muttered, running up the tunnel staircase as swiftly as he could, Shippo clinging weakly to his back.

"Heh," the kitsune replied quietly. "And you're always charging blindly into battle, you idiot."

As he spoke, InuYasha stumbled against the wall of the tunnel, gritting his teeth against the pain from the wound in his side. "Damn snake," he grumbled, pushing onward. "My eyes are getting blurry."

"Poison," Shippo muttered slowly, going limp.

Cursing, InuYasha tried to speed up. He had to get help soon if he wanted Shippo to live. Bitter thoughts raced through his mind, predominated by one remorseful theme; _why couldn't it have been me instead?_

As he neared the entrance of the tunnel, his heart sank. Someone had replaced the wood concealing it, and it was raining, water flowing in, dampening the rock. In his weakened state, he would never be able to shove it aside.

"Damn it all!" he growled, preparing to try and move it anyway.

A muffled voice reached his ears as he started to lower Shippo to the ground. "Kessita, over here, quickly!" A moment later, the water dripping in from outside began to move, flowing as if controlled, and the wood began to move aside.

A sense of relief washing over his urgency, he moved forward to help, and as soon as the opening was clear, he pushed the unconscious fox demon out into the open and scurried painfully after him.

"Shippo!" InuYasha looked up to see Ai rush to her mate's side, Kessita on her heals. Knowing there was nothing more he could do, he happily slid into the soothing numbness of unconsciousness.

**Okay, sorry for the wait. Writer's block and stress from school are not a nice combination. **


	21. Resolutions

**I. Hate. Exam. Week.**

**Otulia: Just write…it'll be soothing and therapeutic and all that jazz.**

Resolutions

"No! This isn't supposed to happen! He said that no one would be able to get in!"

All eyes turned to the young woman in purple as she stamped her foot and crossed her arms in a huff.

"That liar! I'll kick his butt for this. I never should have believed him. He was probably just trying to get me in trouble, anyway!"

Rin gasped. "I know you!" she exclaimed. "You nearly knocked me over in the market!"

She stopped her ranting and peered curiously at Rin. A bright smile suddenly lit up her face. "Rin! It's been such a long time since I saw you last!"

"In the market?"

"No, silly! Back before the wind witch stole my Fluffykins from me!"

Everyone would have fallen on their butts in shock right then and there if Ayumi hadn't screamed.

* * *

Antheron glanced sideways at her twin. He stood, calm and composed, completely at ease in front of the angry crowd of bat demons that had surrounded their manor demanding some sort of an explanation. She didn't know how he could do it.

She was a mess, herself. Only Amoyael's strong presence at her side kept her from breaking down. Everything had gone wrong. It wasn't enough that their mother was still unconscious and that they had no explanation to give to the bat demons to keep them from rioting. No, they just had to have been met with a small group of half-demons rushing InuYasha and Shippo into the safety of the manor, both unconscious and gravely injured.

And no one knew what had become of the others who had gone after Sesshomaru. For all they knew…they could be lying dead in a tunnel under the city. The very thought made her want to rush to the tunnels immediately. But she could do nothing until the bat clan had been pacified.

* * *

For what seemed like eternity, no one moved. The snake demon had caught up with them and had silently gotten its coils around the person closest to the door; Ayumi.

Kagome was the first to break from her stupor. Quickly drawing an arrow across her bow, she took careful aim. "Let her go," she commanded angrily.

The snake simply tightened its hold on her and let out a hiding laugh as Ayumi cried out in pain. "I think not, foolissh miko. Your powerssss cannot harm me, or have you forgotten already?"

Kagome prepared to let the arrow fly, but suddenly found she couldn't move. Kishitaro stepped forward, leaving a warning thought in her mind. _Let me handle this, Kags. This snake is crafty; he'll take advantage of your temper to get someone hurt._

Realizing that he was right, she mentally agreed to stay out of it. Immediately, Kishitaro released his hold on her, and she lowered her bow.

"Let the human go, snake," he demanded angrily, voice low and threatening in a way that Kagome hadn't thought possible for him.

"What'sssss thissss? Are you challenging me?"

"She has nothing to do with this. Let her go. Your fight is with me."

More hissing laughter rang throughout the cavern. "Thisss ssshould prove to be very interesssting. Very well. I will kill the human wench after I have dealt with you." The snake demon tossed Ayumi into the air. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat as she watched her friend hurtle toward the ground, Kishitaro making no move to catch her.

A flash of white, and suddenly Sesshomaru was beside her, setting Ayumi on her feet. Both were shaking, Ayumi from fright, and the taiyokai from fighting the spell binding his demonic abilities.

"Good," Kishitaro said, glaring daggers at the snake. "Now I kill you."

"No you don't! He's mine!"

He whirled around in time to see the girl in purple charging toward the snake, Tokijin in hand. Just barely managing to get out of the way in time, he, along with everyone else, watched as she swung the sword down in a powerful arc, red energy crackling around the blade and shooting toward the snake.

"No!" they heard it hiss. "Thisss issssn't possssible!"

The energy collided with the snake as it tried in vain to slither backwards into the labyrinth. The impact was deafening; hissing screams combined with the crackle of electricity.

When the light had died down enough to see, nothing of the snake demon remained.

Kagome gaped at her. "I thought only Sesshomaru could wield Tokijin without being possessed by it."

Sesshomaru straightened suddenly. "I remember you now," he said slowly, stalking toward her. "Gisela. You were quite the nuisance several centuries ago."

Rin gasped. "That's right! You were the crazy, obsessive stalker who wouldn't leave Lord Sesshomaru alone!"

**And I've run out of steam, an entire week after I started. Wow. Special thanks to Twentay for keeping me entertained.**


	22. Return

**I'm happy. My doggy, who my parents had given away, showed up at my house again at six o'clock this morning. **

**Oh, and this is also in honor of Spouse's Day, as I have no spouse.**

Return

Kishitaro shook his head in disbelief. "_This_ is his kidnapper? I never would have thought…" He frowned, trailing off as something occurred to him. "The puppets…" He reached out with his mind to his elder brother, wincing as Amoyael's internal fury overwhelmed him.

_What's happened?_ he asked.

_Mother was right in her warning. A puppet attacked the humans, the bats tried to get involved, and now we have hell on our hands here. _Amoyael replied bitterly.

_We've found Father. He's alright; a little weak, but fine._ Kishitaro reported. _He hasn't regained his memory yet, though. All he can recall is Rin and his stalker._

A hint of amusement followed Amoyael's next comment. _Stalker? I will want to hear about this later. For now, just get Father here as quickly as possible; right now, he is the only one who can calm the bats._

Sighing, Kishitaro closed the connection and turned to the others. "We've got a problem. A puppet attacked a human community and the bat demon clan saw it."

Kagome's eyes widened. "And they think it was Sesshomaru, don't they?"

He nodded solemnly. "We need to get to the manor right away."

Gisela bounded between them. "What do you mean? Was someone making demon puppets of Sesshomaru to make him look bad?" Their affirmative nods sent her into another angry rant. "I bet it was that snake. If there was anything left of him, I'd use Tenseiga to resurrect him just so I could kill him again! No one is allowed to make Sesshomaru look bad!"

Taking a deep breath, she walked to a hidden nook in the wall and removed Tenseiga from it. Then she handed both it and Tokijin to Sesshomaru. He took them silently and secured them at his side.

Then Gisela started toward the door. "Come on, I know the way out."

"Should we follow her?" Rin asked warily. "She might just lead us to a dead end."

Kishitaro focused on her mind for a moment before nodding. "She's not trying to deceive us," he announced, starting after her. The others filed out behind him, exchanging anxious glances.

Kagome spoke up, confused. "But there were arrows on the walls. We can just follow them back…" She trailed off as she saw the sight before her. Several paths led from the labyrinth to where they stood, all with identical glowing arrows painted upon the walls. "Oh…"

Gisela struck off into the far left passage without a word. Soundlessly, the group trailed after her.

* * *

"This is beyond creepy," Kagome muttered under her breath as they emerged from the tunnel behind the manor. "How long has she been spying on Sesshomaru?"

"Apparently, for centuries," Kishitaro replied. He stood up straight and stretched out his back. Kagome, Rin, take Gisela inside, will you? Fa—Sesshomaru, come with me, please."

_What are you doing?_

He grimaced as Kagome's thought pushed through his barriers. _It's best he remembers on his own, Kags, _he informed her sadly.

As they went their separate ways, Sesshomaru asked stoically, "What do you need of me?"

Kishitaro smiled a melancholy smile. "You feel like you should be in charge, don't you?"

"Hn."

"That's because you are. And there are some bat demons that need calming down. Don't worry, Amoyael will tell me what you need to say through my telepathy, and then I'll tell you," he continued.

Silence fell over them as they made their way to the front of the manor. They could clearly hear the clamoring of the bat demons, punctuated every so often by two other commanding voices.

_Yael? We're here. Tell me what Father would say._

They rounded the side of the building and joined Amoyael and Antheron. Immediately upon seeing Sesshomaru, the bat demons fell silent, waiting to see what he would say.

Kishitaro passed on the message to Sesshomaru, who delivered it with perfect ease, as if he truly understood what had been going on in his absence.

"Cease your complaints. There was an imposter, who has been tracked down and dealt with. I am aware of the circumstances, so you will not be punished for your breach of the law. However, do not expect me to be so merciful should it happen again. You are dismissed."

Grumbling, the bat demons dispersed. Sesshomaru then took the time to look at the demons who had been holding off the bats until he had arrived. Nothing had been said between them, but…he _knew_ them.

As the memories flooded back, he berated himself. Of course he knew them; they were his offspring.

A light smile alighted upon his face. "Amoyael," he acknowledged. "Antheron."

Antheron's face lit up and she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Father! I missed you so much!"

Kishitaro slipped quietly away; his father remembered his elder siblings, which was indeed a great step forward, but…he did not remember him, and…it hurt.

* * *

"Come see Mother," Amoyael insisted quietly. "She was reckless and used too much of her strength holding off the bats when they attacked the humans. But she'll be so happy to see you."

He pushed open the door and let Sesshomaru enter before him. The taiyokai slowly made his way toward the bed, eyes on the sleeping figure under the coverlet.

Kagura. He remembered her from long ago, the incarnation of his most hated enemy. She had not been very amiable then. But Naraku's scent was long gone, no longer clinging to her as it had centuries ago, replaced now by a scent that was hardly there at all, pure and fleeting as the breeze. But there was another scent, clinging faintly to her, and everything in the room: his own. Another door opened in his mind, and he recalled how, long after Naraku had been killed, she had approached him, asking for his protection as those Naraku had wronged came after her for revenge.

He had been in a dark fog at the time, still grieving the loss of his precious Rin, and her fiery personality had been more than welcome, pulling him back from the brink of depression.

He smiled a true smile and gently cupped her cheek in his palm. Her eyes fluttered open, and she immediately tried to sit up, eyes wide. "Sesshomaru?" she whispered. "I'm not dreaming?"

He steadied her with his arm around her shoulders, seating himself on the bed beside her. "No," he assured her. "It is not a dream."

She sighed softly and leaned against him, saying, "Thank kami." After a moment's silence she tilted her head up to look at him. "Don't you ever disappear like that on me again," she snapped playfully.

Smiling, Amoyael slipped out. Things were slowly returning to normal.

* * *

Kagome stood off to the side, fighting off tears. InuYasha was unconscious, but alright, Ayumi by his side, her hand on his. Though he had been injured badly, he had taken worse before and lived.

But Shippo was dying.

Ai was sobbing quietly, begging him to open his eyes. And there was nothing anyone could do. The snake's poison had been too much for him.

"No," Gisela whispered. "He's not allowed to die…he's not even allowed to get hurt…not Shippo…"

Kishitaro put his arms around Kagome and pulled her into an embrace. "I felt it when he…when he got hurt," she whispered. "I…I can't get it out of my mind."

The door to the room opened slightly, and Antheron poked her head into the room. "Kishi?" she called quietly. "Can I talk to you?"

"Go ahead," Kagome told him. "I want to stay here with Shippo and InuYasha."

"Alright." He slipped out into the hall after Antheron and gently closed the door behind him. "What is it?"

She shook her head slowly before answering. "I think…I think Father would be willing to use Tenseiga…but…"

"But he might not be able to, with his memory the way it is," Kishitaro finished for her. "Still…we can try…"

"I don't want him to die, Kishi…"

**Wow…I wrote a lot…only a few more chapters to go! Ah! And…Shippo-chan! Wah! That was NOT supposed to happen! Please review, peoples…**


	23. Recovery

**Okay…after this chapter there will be one more, if my estimations are correct. And that chapter will be the epilogue. And I must say that writing this fic has been an amazing adventure; exactly what writing should be! I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have.**

Recovery

"I don't want him to die," Antheron stated boldly, hiding the awkwardness she felt when saying such a thing. "He was never asked to help us find you, Father, but he willingly put his life on the line to do so. And…and he saved me, from one of the puppets."

Sesshomaru was silent, pondering her words. He vaguely recalled when the fox she spoke of was but an annoying kit, traveling with his younger brother and a rag-tag band of humans. And there were more recent memories, of a confident man defending his family and the half-demons that were, to this day, still very much despised.

But one memory stood out the most; Shippo as a kit, begging with tears in his eyes for a friend's father to be resurrected. He had knowingly and willingly put himself in danger, summoning up the courage to help another. And, though he had not known it, he had touched Sesshomaru with his plea.

The kitsune did not deserve to die.

"I will see what I can do."

* * *

He heard voices, vague and incomprehensible. They faded in and out with the waves of pain. Occasionally he could tell the voices apart, and make out the words, though his mind was in a fog, and their meaning escaped him.

"His wound has stopped bleeding. It is safe to move him." That voice was quiet and controlled, so much like his brother and yet somehow…different.

"No! Shippo, hang in there, please!" She was crying, he can tell, and he felt his own heart constrict with apprehension.

He felt himself moving, and tried in vain to open his eyes; he hadn't the strength.

"I want to stay here, with Shippo." He immediately knew that quiet whisper to be from Kagome.

"I'll go with him." That was Ayumi, sounding awkward and uncomfortable. "That way he won't be alone when he wakes up."

Darkness engulfed him again, the voices fading away.

* * *

Shippo regained consciousness shortly after Sesshomaru had entered the room. He had spent a short while piecing together his memories of Tenseiga; he had come to realize over the past centuries that someone need not be dead for Tenseiga to save them, but merely on the verge of dying. He would spare everyone much heartache, if he could.

"You're not sure if you can do it, are you?" Shippo asked calmly, his voice rasping.

Sesshomaru lowered his eyes to the floor for a moment. "No."

To everyone's surprise, he smiled weakly. "I won't hold it against you if you can't."

Sesshomaru nodded and unsheathed the healing blade. Focusing his energies on it, he called forth its power, waiting for the emissaries of the netherworld to become visible to him. But nothing happened. He tried again, but with the same results.

"Tenseiga will not respond."

A choked sob came from Ai, who had buried her face in her mate's shoulder. But the fox demon only continued to smile. "That's alright," he murmured. "Ai, don't cry. I'm glad to die a death so honorable, helping my comrades and protecting my family."

He sighed softly and turned his gaze to Sesshomaru. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru, for everything you've done for us. Please look out for Ai and Kessita." With the last of his strength, he smiled lovingly at his mate, crying on his shoulder, and his daughter, standing solemnly beside her.

"I love you, Daddy," Kessita said softly. "Mama and I are gonna miss you."

"I love you to, Kess. And you too, Ai." He sighed again, eyes drifting closed. "I have no regrets," he breathed out. His chest did not rise again.

Sesshomaru listened as Ai sobbed out her grief and Kessita sniffled quietly. Behind him, Kagome sank down against the wall, letting out her own tears of sadness and pain. He had grown fond of Shippo, he realized, with a start, and he felt his own heart twinge, a deep feeling of regret filling him. He wished, truly wished, that there was something he could have done for him, he who had lost his life to save him.

Tenseiga pulsed, once, twice.

He regarded the blade a moment before realizing what had happened. It had sensed his own feelings of loss, though concealed, and was reacting. Tenseiga was finally responding to his call.

He narrowed his eyes and swept the sword over the kitsune's lifeless body, a single glistening tear, unnoticed by all, falling to the floor.

* * *

InuYasha opened his eyes wearily to see Ayumi peering anxiously down at him. "Where am I?" he asked, pushing himself into a sitting position and wincing with the effort.

"Amoyael brought you back to your room," she answered quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been in worse shape than this; I'll live. What about Shippo?" He didn't take her uncomfortable silence as a good sign. "What happened?" he demanded anxiously.

"He was in bad shape when we left…" she explained softly. "I don't really know what was going on, but Kishitaro mentioned trying something with a sword, and…"

"Damn it all," InuYasha interrupted, his voice strangely hollow. "If they're talking about Tenseiga, then…damn it runt, you're not supposed to die on us…"

Ayumi bit her lip nervously. "InuYasha, what's going on? I don't understand?"

He sighed sadly and shook his head. "Sesshomaru has a sword called Tenseiga that can resurrect the dead. I don't know if he's mastered it or not, but the thing has a mind of its own. If they're talking about using it, then…then Shippo's dying."

"But if this sword can save him, isn't that a good thing?" Ayumi asked hopefully.

"It depends on if it'll listen to Sesshomaru or not. It's not particularly fond of demons; the thing prefers to save human lives." He was silent for a while, a shadow descending over him as terrible memories returned to him.

Then he said so quietly Ayumi was barely sure she heard it, "I should have done more to help against that snake, and then, maybe, he'd be okay. I hope Sesshomaru can help him; I don't want another companion's death on my hands."

She bit her lip, unsure of what she should do to comfort him, having little idea of what he meant, but afraid to ask. Tentatively, she reached out and laid her hand upon his.

He looked from their hands to her face, his eyes unreadable. "There's something you need to know," he told her, his voice hollow. "I'm not safe to be around."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a half-demon, Ayumi, and my demon blood is too strong. My sword, Tetsusaiga, is supposed to bind it, but sometimes, it takes over, and then…then I turn into a monster." He took a shaky breath, lowering his head so that his eyes were in shadow. "I…I killed Kagome's family," he said, his voice breaking. "My demon blood took over, and then…"

He stopped talking, suddenly finding himself wrapped in a comforting embrace. "But you couldn't control yourself," she said sadly. "It wasn't your fault."

He couldn't say anything, and for the first time since the incident, tears slid silently from his eyes.

Just then, the door slammed open, and Kagome, teary-eyed and grinning, burst in and glomped the both of them, exclaiming joyously, "Shippo's okay!"

**After this is the last chapter! Woot! Now, let me know what you think! Critique me, I'm begging you! -grins-**


	24. Epilogue

**To anyone at all who has read this, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**And to my reviewers—**

**CL 9 3 11 0 9 5, silentmoondemon, Luna Silvereyes, hieiashke, unowho (and yes, I DO know who), Sarenity digo 17, InuyashasB, iheartanime43, and Frog Lady**

**--a big, hearty, THANK YOU is due. Ya'll gave me the motivation to push through and finish this fic, which was amazingly fun to write. You guys rock.**

Epilogue

It had been two months since Sesshomaru had been rescued from the clutches of Gisela. She had been released after Kishitaro determined she was not a threat, and that the snake demon who had enlisted her to kidnap Sesshomaru in the first place was the real cause of all the trouble. Since then, she had seemingly dropped off the face of the planet.

Shippo recovered quickly, thanks to Tenseiga, and returned to Sheehan with his family. He visited often, and his warm, cheerful smile was always a welcome sight. Ai had, in turn, approached the human community that had been attacked by the bat demons, and through much patience, had won their trust and their vow of silence about demon existence.

InuYasha, as always, had been hobbling around the day after receiving his injury from the snake demon. And though he tried to dissuade her in every way possible, Ayumi had insisted on staying by his side. Kagome was of the opinion that she was a much better match for the half-demon, since his fiery temper had died down to be replaced by nagging self-doubt. And, indeed, she was correct, as Ayumi's presence always brought a smile to his eyes.

Kagura regained her strength and, after a long talking to from both Sesshomaru and Amoyael, agreed to be wiser about the way she used her up her energy, though everyone knew she would do it again in a heartbeat. Such was her way, and so it always would be.

Amoyael and Antheron stepped down from their leadership position and allowed their father to take over once again. Both quickly fell into their usual patterns of existence, all trace of the strain the ordeal they had been through in his absence quickly erased.

Rin stayed in Okirei, overjoyed to be reunited with her surrogate father. It wasn't long before her old optimistic personality began peeking out, breaking apart the sadness that had long hung over her.

As for Sesshomaru himself, his memory quickly returned to him, some things faster than others. Each day he was recalling more and more, and calm returned to him as he was able to piece his life together again. He could recall almost every person, human or demon, that he encountered on a regular basis.

And Kishitaro continued supporting the idea that it was best he remember things on his own, with no help, despite the pain it caused him. For, the one person Sesshomaru could not remember was…him.

* * *

Sesshomaru stalked silently through the halls of the manor, deep in thought. Something had been bothering him for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He knew it was connected to his memories in some way, and it infuriated him that it was still locked away and hidden from him.

But he knew he was close to remembering it. It was floating just beneath the surface of his conscious awareness, and he was determined not to let it escape his grasp. He just needed something to trigger the memory. If only he knew what that something was.

He paused outside a door, slightly ajar. Within the room he could clearly see Kagura, Amoyael, and Antheron, having a light lunch together. They were discussing the mater of possible future mates for the twins. He had long since decided to stay out of such matters, and let his children choose their mates for themselves; after all, didn't his own father fall in love with a human woman after an arranged mating to his mother? And didn't he himself find himself in love with the offspring of his most hated enemy?

Nevertheless, he stood outside the door, cloaking his presence, and listened in on their conversation.

"Antheron, whatever happened to that nice young wolf demon, Haku?" Kagura asked, sipping a cup of tea.

Antheron frowned. "His father kept harping about how wolves were superior to dogs and getting on my nerves," she replied simply.

Amoyael chuckled quietly. "You couldn't care less what Kouga had to say, Theron. You always just growled at him and scared him away."

Antheron flushed and shot her twin a death glare. "Sometimes I hate you."

"You and I both know you gave up on Haku the day you introduced him to me and he called me an affront to nature."

Kagura looked between them bemusedly, choosing to remain silent and let them bicker the issue out between themselves.

"Fine, whatever. I'm not going to be courted by a guy who doesn't like you. What about Kurenn?" she countered.

Amoyael did what only his family would ever see him do; he turned three shades redder and spluttered on his own tea. "How did you find out about her?"

"I know you too well, that's how. By the way, I don't trust her. I don't think she really likes you all that much, and just wants to be able to brag about being courted by 'our illustrious leader's first-born son.'"

Sesshomaru stiffened at those words. _First-born?_

Amoyael threw a glare at her. "Whatever. Let's move back to _your_ love-life, shall we? Haku isn't that bad; I'm willing to give him a second chance to decide if I'm an affront to nature or not."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, leaning back in her chair. "If he had insulted Kishi, that would be one thing. I could possibly forgive that. But you're more than just my brother; you're my twin. And as such, anyone who wishes to be a potential future mate must never harbor any ill feelings toward you whatsoever, because you're never going away."

Outside, Sesshomaru moved on, piecing together the small things he had heard, the memories pushing harder and harder, straining against the wall holding them back.

* * *

"Kags, wake up."

Kishitaro's voice penetrated he sleepy fog in Kagome's mind, forcing her an inch closer to wakefulness.

"Come on, you can't sleep half the day away."

She pouted and refused to open her eyes. "But I wanna sleep half the day away," she mumbled into her pillow. "I have a headache."

He shook her shoulder lightly. "I told you not to overdo it on the caffeine last night," he scolded gently. "Now get up, lazy bones. You've got that important deadline at work, remember?"

In an instant, she was out from underneath the covers and darting for the bathroom. "I completely forgot! Oh, I'm going to be late again, and they'll fire me for sure!"

He chuckled and left her to get ready, moving to the kitchen to set out breakfast. Not two minutes later Kagome, in white blouse and grey skirt, hair thrown up in a loose bun, came hopping in, pulling her socks as she made her way to the table. "I nearly forgot about breakfast, too," she groaned. "Thanks."

He smiled bemusedly. "You'd be lost without me," he teased.

She pulled a face at him and hurriedly shoved food in her mouth. In record time, she had finished, and was darting for the door. "I'll be back by six!"

"Good luck!" he called after her. The door slamming shut was the only reply.

Kishitaro shook his head and began to clean up. "I better get moving myself," he mused. "I've got an interview in a few hours."

He stiffened suddenly at the sound of the door sliding slowly open, a familiar presence entering the apartment. Eyes widening in surprise, he turned to see Sesshomaru walking toward him, golden eyes troubled.

"Kishitaro," he said quietly, halting just in front of him.

Kishitaro said nothing, sensing the chaos and confusion that had engulfed his father's mind. Hesitantly, Sesshomaru lifted his hand and placed a slender finger on Kishitaro's forehead, tracing the crescent moon.

"My son," he whispered, his voice unreadable, hand falling back to his side. "Forgive me."

Kishitaro couldn't help it; he grinned. "It's about time," he replied. "I've missed you."

Kagome, eavesdropping from just outside, barely contained a joyful laugh. And then it occurred to her that she was still late, and she darted down the hall to the elevator, praying she'd catch the bus in time.

**I am not happy with this ending. An emotional Sesshomaru is freaking HARD to write! Gah! Anyway, please let me know what you think, and tell me how I could improve my writing! I really wanna know! And…I want to write some sort of a sequel to this sequel now…about the love lives of Amoyael and Antheron…how sweet would that be?**


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